Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Omar Ayub announced on Wednesday that the party will not participate in the upcoming fourth round of negotiations with the ruling coalition unless a judicial commission is formed. Terming the ongoing dialogue “futile” without this key condition, Ayub stated, “The formation of a judicial commission is essential before continuing talks.”
The announcement came after Senator Irfan Siddiqui, representing the government’s negotiation team, confirmed that the next round of talks is scheduled for January 28. However, Siddiqui added that the government has not yet decided on PTI’s demand to constitute the judicial commission.
During the third round of talks held on January 16, PTI submitted its demands in writing, seeking investigations into the May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024, incidents, as well as the release of “political prisoners.” PTI’s demands explicitly state that without the formation of two separate judicial commissions to probe these events, the party will withdraw from negotiations.
Omar Ayub emphasized that PTI’s founder had issued clear directives, warning the government to fulfill the demand within seven days or risk a breakdown in talks.
Senator Siddiqui revealed that a sub-committee of the ruling coalition is reviewing PTI’s demands and will finalize its written response ahead of the January 28 meeting. He assured that consultations would continue, with sub-committee meetings planned for the coming days.
Ijaz-ul-Haq, a member of the government’s team, shared that the sub-committee is preparing a detailed response to PTI’s demands, which will be submitted to National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. Once reviewed, the speaker will convene a meeting of both negotiation teams.
The sub-committee’s meeting was attended by prominent government officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, political adviser Rana Sanaullah, PPP leader Naveed Qamar, IPP President Abdul Aleem Khan, and MQM-P leader Dr. Farooq Sattar.
