Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Senator Irfan Siddiqui, who serves as spokesman of the ruling coalition’s negotiating committee, said talks can resume if the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) approaches National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq before Jan. 31.
Addressing media after the PTI skipped the fourth round of talks—leading to the speaker deferring the process—Siddiqui regretted that the PTI had unilaterally abandoned the talks without even hearing the government’s counter-offer to its charter of demands. “Our committee will remain in place until Jan. 31 in case they change their mind,” he said, adding perhaps the PTI was not “built” for dialogue.
To a question, he said if the PTI wished to return to politics of agitation, that was its right. He also stressed that the government would not reach out to the PTI for any further talks, but was willing to return to the dialogue table if the opposition party made any overtures.
Referring to a recent statement of Opposition Leader in the Senate Shibli Faraz, wherein the PTI leader had said the government could not be sincere to the dialogue process as they would lead to its collapse, he questioned why then the PTI had abandoned the talks. “If these talks would lead to our collapse, should they not pursue them?” he said, regretting the PTI had damaged democratic traditions by abandoning the dialogue.
Deferred fourth round
Earlier, Sadiq addressed media alongside members of the government committee, noting the negotiations could not proceed in the absence of the PTI.
“I hope that the talks will resume, the [government’s] negotiation committee will remain intact and not dissolve,” he said. “Negotiations are the only way forward … I request the opposition to find a way for the dialogue,” he added.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who is on the government’s committee, also hoped that the PTI would engage with the speaker to resume dialogue. He said it would be inappropriate for them to issue a unilateral statement in the former ruling party’s absence.
“We must have brought something if we came to the meeting,” he said, emphasizing the government had prepared a response to the PTI’s demands. “If they [PTI] had come, we would have given our answer to the speaker and them in the committee,” he added.
Talks between the PTI and the government commenced in December 2024, with three rounds occurring through Jan. 16. In the third round, the PTI had submitted a charter of demands seeking the formation of judicial commissions into the May 9 riots and the Nov. 26 Islamabad protest. The PTI had demanded the formation of the commissions as prerequisite for continuing with the talks.
On Jan. 23, the PTI announced it had called off the dialogue. The announcement had attracted criticism from the government, which had noted it was ahead of the party’s earlier Jan. 31 deadline, and also prior to the completion of seven working days agreed upon during the last meeting on Jan. 16.