Pakistan Tehrik e Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar announced that former Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed the party to continue negotiations with the government. Speaking to journalists outside Adiala Jail after meeting with Khan, Barrister Gohar stated that Khan has allowed the party’s expression of two key demands in writing to the government negotiation committee. He reiterated that Khan had dismissed any possibility of any strike deal with the government.
An important third negotiation session needs to be emphasized by Gohar, which would stall progress if not permitted the to negotiation team to meet afterward. Earlier reports pertained that negotiations of the government and PTI were suspended with inconclusive results after PTI failed to submit demands in writing.
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Even then, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq is yet to convene a session of the dialogue committees, making the third phase of government-PTI negotiations really unpredictable. PTI leader Asad Qaiser said those utterances of PTI representatives in earlier meetings should suffice as written demands. He stressed that the government must include major stakeholders for dialogue to move forward.
During a press meeting on Tuesday, Imran Khan stated two core demands: one, the establishment of a judicial commission to investigate the events of May 9 and November 26; and two, release the innocent PTI workers. Following two rounds of talks with the government committee, Barrister Gohar, flanked by PTI leaders Omar Ayub, Salman Akram Raja, and Shibli Faraz, said it intends to avert any stalemate.