Reacting to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) January 31 deadline for meaningful talks, Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar dismissed it as a “face-saving” move. Speaking on Thursday, Tarar said the federal government does not take PTI’s ultimatum seriously.
Earlier in the day, PTI’s negotiation team met party founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail. After the meeting, the team reiterated their demands, which included a judicial probe into the May 9 riots and the November 26 crackdown. They also called for the release of “political prisoners.”
Sahibzada Hamid Raza, leader of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) and a member of PTI’s dialogue team, spoke to journalists after the meeting. He stated that Imran Khan was ready to forgive past injustices for the country’s sake. However, Raza confirmed that the first phase of their civil disobedience movement—boycotting remittances—would remain active despite ongoing talks.
Tarar criticized PTI’s ultimatum, calling it a tactic to recover from repeated “political defeats.” He claimed the call for overseas Pakistanis to stop sending remittances would fail, much like PTI’s “final call” protest in Islamabad last month.
The minister highlighted PTI’s previous failures, including the 26th Constitutional Amendment and other “do-or-die” political moves. He also denied reports that Imran Khan had been offered a deal to be placed under house arrest or transferred to a KP prison, where his party governs.
These comments come as the government and PTI engage in much-anticipated talks following months of political tension. The discussions began earlier this week at Parliament House.
Irfan Siddiqui Appointed Spokesperson for Government Committee
In a related development, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appointed Senator Irfan Siddiqui as the spokesperson for the government’s negotiation committee.
Siddiqui, who also chairs the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, will play a key role in the talks. The committee aims to address pressing national and political issues.
The first meeting from the government’s side included Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, PM’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah, Senator Siddiqui, PPP leaders Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Naveed Qamar, and MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar.
PTI’s representatives included former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, SIC Chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza, and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas.
The two committees are scheduled to meet again on January 2. PTI will present its demands in written form during the next session.
