Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Thursday called off talks with the ruling coalition aimed at achieving political stability.
Announcing Khan’s decision, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan said it was motivated by the government’s inability to announce the formation of judicial commissions into the May 9 and Nov. 26 incidents within a week of the party’s submission of its Charter of Demands. He said if the government announced the formation of the judicial commissions, the PTI could reconsider its decision to exit the talks.
During the third round of talks on Jan. 16, the PTI had submitted a formal list of demands, declaring the formation of the judicial commissions as prerequisite for continuation of the dialogue. It had also sought the government’s support for securing the freedom of all political prisoners, including Khan.
The PTI’s abandonment of the talks comes as little surprise, as just a day earlier Leader of the Opposition Omar Ayub Khan had declared the process “useless” in the absence of an announcement on the judicial commissions. Earlier this week, Khan had similarly conveyed to media that if the government did not form judicial commissions within seven days of the submission of demands, his party would no longer engage in any talks.
PMLN Senator Irfan Siddiqui, spokesperson for the government negotiation team, had meanwhile announced the fourth round of talks would take place on Jan. 28. In a media interaction, he had said the government was consulting with all coalition partners on the judicial commissions. He had urged the PTI not to show undue haste, as the government wished to respond to its demands formally with the approval of all stakeholders.
The stop-start process of the talks had commenced last month, with the ruling coalition asking the opposition party to submit a formal, written list of demands for further negotiations. The PTI had agreed to do so, and sought a meeting with Imran Khan to complete deliberations.
Despite the meeting, the PTI failed to submit any written demands in the second round on Jan. 2, instead seeking another meeting with Khan for further instructions. This was also granted, leading to a third round on Jan. 16, when a formal charter of demands was presented.