Despite PTI’s absence, govt to maintain negotiation committee

Islamabad: The government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) negotiations have reached a deadlock and the meeting of the negotiation committee has been postponed indefinitely. The National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has decided to maintain the government's negotiation committee.

A consultative meeting of the government negotiation committee was held in the office of the Speaker of the National Assembly. The government committee meeting considered the situation after PTI’s response of not attending the negotiation session today.

The Speaker of the National Assembly informed the government negotiation committee about the contact with PTI.

Meanwhile, members of the government negotiation committee arrived to attend the meeting. Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq also arrived to attend the meeting, but no PTI member appeared.

Rana Sanaullah, while talking to the media, said that there is no other way except for negotiations. PTI will have to come to the negotiation table. This attitude of PTI’s has been there for 10 to 12 years. Their demands can be discussed, when PTI responded in public, we also had to respond.

After this, the Speaker of the National Assembly once again contacted Asad Qaiser and Omar Ayub by telephone and invited them to participate in the negotiations. The Speaker sent the Joint Secretary to the opposition chamber to come for negotiations. The PTI, after consulting with the senior leadership, asked them to inform them about the negotiations.

The meeting of the government negotiation committee ended as soon as it started. Six members of the government negotiation committee attended the meeting.

After the meeting, Speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq, while talking to the media, said that after seven working days of the previous meeting, notices were sent to the members. It was expected that the PTI people would come today. We waited for 45 minutes and also sent a message.

He stated that we believed that negotiations were the only way out. The committee meeting could not continue due to the non-participation of the PTI.

Ayaz Sadiq added that the negotiation committee will remain in place, and they would wait for the PTI people to come.

Deputy Prime Minister Senator Ishaq Dar said that they had positive thinking and intentions. Even before, negotiations were held, the 126-day sit-in also ended after negotiations. It was expected that PTI friends would come today. We do not want to make a unilateral statement in their absence.

He stated that negotiations mean sitting and talking and preparing a response to the demands within the scope of the constitution and law. If their intentions are good, we will be encouraged, if the PTI people come, we will share our answer with them.

Senator Ishaq Dar said that the police had gone to provide security for the press conference.

Earlier, the spokesperson of the government negotiation committee, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, while talking to the media, said that there are seven parties in the government negotiation committee, and the leaders of the remaining parties cannot be tied up.