If Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) participates in today’s (Tuesday) round of negotiations—previously halted by party founder Imran Khan—the government is prepared to offer a middle ground rather than outright rejecting PTI’s demands.
Three key members of the government’s negotiation team—Rana Sanaullah, Irfan Siddiqui, and Ejazul Haq—confirmed to The News that they would put forward a proposal instead of dismissing PTI’s requests outright.
PTI has called for the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the events of May 9 and November 26. Additionally, they demand that federal and provincial authorities refrain from obstructing bail grants or the suspension of sentences for political prisoners linked to FIRs registered over incidents on May 9, 2023, November 24-27, 2024, or any other political event.
However, the government maintains that a judicial commission cannot be established for matters that are sub judice. Instead, they propose forming a parliamentary committee as an alternative.
Sanaullah criticized PTI’s decision to withdraw from talks on November 26 without hearing the government’s stance, questioning what the party gained by walking away. He noted that PTI’s civil disobedience campaign was still active, along with its aggressive social media rhetoric, yet the government had not restricted their protests.
He also raised concerns about whether serving judges would even agree to probe the May 9 and November 26 incidents.
Siddiqui emphasized that the government’s offer remains valid only until Tuesday’s scheduled meeting. While he did not disclose the exact counterproposal, he stated, “We will neither reject their demands outright nor accept them entirely—we will offer room for further discussions.” He added that had PTI engaged in dialogue earlier, the situation could have progressed positively.
Haq also regretted PTI’s abrupt withdrawal from negotiations, reinforcing that a parliamentary committee remains a viable alternative to a judicial commission since legal constraints prevent the latter from addressing sub judice matters.
