'Govt-PTI talks concluded after PM's offer rejected'

• Govt created document as working paper for CBMs: PML-N Senator.
• "This document was open to revision and negotiation," says Siddiqui.
• He claims govt did not outrightly reject judicial commission demand.
  

ISLAMABAD: Spokesperson for the government's negotiation committee for its talks with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Irfan Siddiqui has said that the dialogue process has concluded after the former ruling party rejected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's offer to resume the parleys.

Speaking to Saudi Arabian media outlet Urdu News, Senator Siddiqui emphasised that the negotiations had ended, with no deadlock or breakdown and that the government's committee had been dissolved.

The lawmaker's remarks come against the backdrop of PTI skipping the fourth round of talks on January 28 citing the government's failure to constitute a judicial commission to probe the May 9 riots and November 2024 Islamabad protest as stipulated in its written charter of demands.

The dialogue between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government and the PTI commenced in late December after months of heightened political tensions.

Despite the two sides holding three rounds of negotiations on December 27, 2024, January 2, 2025, and January 16, the dialogue process hit a snag after the PTI refused to continue with the talks first saying that they had been called off by its incarcerated founder Imran Khan and then later backtracking and noting that they had only been put on hold.

With the PTI skipping the fourth session, the PM had offered to form a parliamentary committee to advance the talks. The offer, however, was turned down by the PTI.

"We reject Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s offer [to resume dialogue]," said National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub while speaking on Geo News' programme 'Capital Talk'.

Meanwhile, the government has also rejected speculations of "ongoing backdoor talks" between the former ruling party and the establishment.

Also, contrasting to Siddiqui's remarks concerning the dissolution of the negotiation committee, sources on Saturday told Geo News that National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has decided to retain it.

With the NA spokesperson underscoring that the speaker has directed to retain the negotiation committee it is worth noting that the NA Secretariat has not yet denotified either of the committees.

Lamenting that PTI hurried into negotiations and exited just as quickly as they had arrived, Senator Siddiqui said that PTI's written demands were aimed at building trust, and the government had considered several of them.

"We didn't reject the demand for judicial commission outright," he said, adding, "Our lawyers advised that a judicial commission couldn't be formed for cases already in court".

"However, instead of responding directly, we suggested that they consult their lawyers, share their views, and, if convinced, we could find a common ground together," noted the politician.

Highlighting that they had worked on several confidence-building measures, but when asked for specifics, he mentioned that the details remain confidential.

The Senator explained that the government created a document as a working paper, not a final draft, for confidence-building measures with the PTI.

"This document was open to revision and negotiation, but the PTI pulled out of the talks," he remarked while saying that the document was not final and could have been adjusted through further discussion.

Censuring the Khan-founder party for its nature of rejecting negotiations, dialogue, and deal-making and focusing instead on protests, violence, and intimidation, the Siddiqui said: "Whenever they engaged in talks, they withdrew with the same aggressive approach".

Referring to the PTI's demands of the release of its workers and leaders, he revealed that the party had requested the release of PTI founder, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Omar Cheema, Ejaz Chaudhry, Yasmeen Rashid, and Mahmood Rashid.

While the names were not written, they were verbally mentioned, asking for assistance in their release, he noted.

"They also demanded the release of other prisoners, which was their only request," Senator Siddiqui said while stressing that there was no other way for these individuals to be released.