ISLAMABAD: The first round of PTI government talks took place on Friday at the National Assembly speaker’s chamber, with both sides holding discussions just days before the party’s planned long march towards the capital on October 4.
The meeting brought together a six-member PTI delegation and a government team led by senior ministers. It lasted around an hour, and no breakthrough was announced.
Who Attended the Negotiations
The PTI side was headed by party Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan. He was joined by Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, along with party leaders Asad Qaiser, Salman Akram Raja, Amir Dogar and Haleem Adil Sheikh.
Representing the government were Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry. Sherry Rehman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) also took part, among others.
At the start of the session, the interior minister briefed the participants on the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
PTI Reshapes Its Delegation
The PTI had to restructure its team before the meeting. Mahmood Khan Achakzai, chief of the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP), declined to attend because he wanted the talks held at a neutral venue instead of the speaker’s chamber.
Sources said the PTI leadership turned down that demand and went ahead with a new delegation.
Gohar: Talks Held in a Good Atmosphere
Speaking to reporters after the session, Barrister Gohar described the atmosphere as good. He said both sides laid out their positions and that the opposition had stated its demands plainly.
According to Gohar, the PTI joined the talks without preconditions after receiving an invitation from the government. He voiced hope that the process would move in a positive direction.
The second round is set for 2pm on Saturday. Gohar said negotiations and the PTI long march would proceed side by side. He also stated that there was no scope for imposing governor’s rule or an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Sanaullah: No Decision Reached Yet
Rana Sanaullah confirmed that the first round produced no decision. He said the two sides would sit down again on Saturday, but declined to comment on progress at this early stage.
Earlier in the day, Sanaullah had urged the PTI to call off its long march while talks were under way. Speaking at Parliament House, he said long marches and disorder do not solve problems and that matters pending before the courts must be settled by the courts.
He argued that issues open to negotiation should be handled at the table, and questioned the opposition’s stance on the venue. “You can sit by the roadside under a tree and talk, but you cannot meet at the Prime Minister’s Office,” he said.
In his view, such remarks damage political tolerance and communication between parties.
Imran Khan’s Health Check-Up
Sanaullah, a senior PML-N leader, also addressed the situation of Imran Khan, who is held at Adiala jail. He said the PTI founder was moved to a hospital, where a panel of senior doctors examined him.
The purpose, he explained, was a medical check-up for the former prime minister, and the hospital in question was not a private facility. He added that the government would be bound to comply if the court issued further clear directions, since courts enforce their own orders.
PTI Long March Will Go Ahead
The PTI had earlier pushed back the long march from September 27 to October 4. The party says the protest aims to secure the release of its jailed founding chairman and what it calls the restoration of constitutional supremacy.
Barrister Gohar said the march would definitely take place and that the talks began at the government’s request.
Before the meeting, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said the opposition would raise the question of justice. He said the party wanted to meet and consult its jailed founder, and that progress in the talks would depend on whether such a meeting happened. “We want the release of the PTI founder and justice,” he said.
Asad Qaiser added that the party wanted to meet Khan at Adiala jail to finalise the agenda with his input. He said the matter of the PTI founder’s sisters would also come up. “First of all, we believe we should be allowed to meet our leader,” Qaiser said.
