Siddiqui urges resumption of talks as govt yet to reject any PTI demand

Islamabad: Senator Irfan-ul-Haque Siddiqui, a PML-N leader and spokesperson for the government’s negotiation committee, on Thursday, urged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to reconsider resuming talks, emphasizing that the government is still reviewing their demands and has not rejected any.

 

Speaking to the media, he expressed regret over PTI’s decision to end negotiations.

Siddiqui called on PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar and Opposition Leader Omar Ayub not to end the talks abruptly, highlighting that negotiations are the only way to resolve political issues.

Criticizing Barrister Gohar’s statement, Siddiqui urged PTI to take a more measured approach, pointing out their quick exit from talks.

He also reminded PTI that it was agreed upon that the government would respond to their demands by January 28.

 

While expressing surprise over the opposition’s recent demands, Siddiqui noted that PTI took 42 days to submit their own written demands, and questioned the urgency for a judicial commission to be formed within just 7 days.

 

He asked why PTI could not wait for the government’s response on January 28, and suggested that any objections to the 7-day timeframe should have been raised during the negotiations.

 

Despite the PTI founder’s objectionable tweets, Siddiqui reaffirmed that the government continued the negotiation process.

 

He explained that the government committee remains active and will meet to finalize its response, having already requested the speaker to convene a meeting on January 28.

 

He expressed surprise at PTI’s insistence, stating that there was no reason they could not wait five more days.

 

Siddiqui also questioned how PTI knew the commission wasn’t being formed, asserting that negotiations were heading towards a successful resolution.

He emphasized that if Barrister Gohar and Omar Ayub could form a view differing from PTI’s founders, they should act on it.

 

When asked whether a judicial commission could be formed by midnight Thursday, Siddiqui replied that it could not, and stated that following PTI’s refusal, the committee would meet to decide the next course of action, with a decision expected on Friday.