Second round of PTI-govt dialogue to be held today

Members of the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insafs (PTI) negotiation committees meet under chairmanship of NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on December 23, 2024. — PID — Members of the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) negotiation committees meet under chairmanship of NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on December 23, 2024. — PID

Meeting to be chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.
NA speaker is facilitating negotiations between govt and PTI.
Gandapur says PTI founder authorised party leaders to hold talks.

ISLAMABAD: The government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will begin second round of dialogue on Thursday (today) afternoon, The News reported.

The government and PTI negotiation committees’ in-camera meeting has been rescheduled from 11am to 3:30pm today. As per the spokesperson for the National Assembly, the committee members requested for changing the meeting’s timing.

The meeting will be chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq in the Parliament House’s Constitution Committee Room. As the NA speaker is facilitating and leading the negotiations between the government and PTI.

The opposition party has decided to demand from the government to release PTI prisoners and probe the cases pertaining to May 9 and November 26 protests through constitution of a judicial commission.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said on Wednesday that the PTI was ready to launch a protest movement if the ongoing talks with the government failed.

Talking to a private TV news channel, he said the PTI founder had authorised party leaders to hold talks with the government only for the sake of the country.

The chief minister, who is also the KP chapter chief of PTI, stated that while his party had engaged in talks with the government, it was prepared to launch a movement if their demands were not met.

Enlisting the major demands, he said these included the release of the PTI founder, other leaders, and political prisoners.

The chief minister also reiterated his earlier call for the formation of a commission to investigate the violent incidents of May 9 and November 26. He expressed the hope that the year 2025 would mark the beginning of what he termed “real freedom”.

Gandapur emphasised that the PTI relied on public support for launching the movement, asserting that backing from foreign powers was not required.