- Govt committee members clearly indicate they have something to offer.
- Govt insists judicial body can’t be set up for matters already subjudice.
- Irfan Siddiqui says govt’s committee to remain available only until today.
ISLAMABAD: If the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) joins today’s (Tuesday) round of talks, which had been put on hold by party founder Imran Khan, the government will not outrightly reject PTI’s demand.
Instead, the government’s negotiating team will offer a middle ground. The News spoke to three members of the government’s negotiating team — Rana Sanaullah, Irfan Siddiqui, and Ejazul Haq. All of them clearly indicated that they would have something to offer to the PTI and that the government would not outrightly reject their demands.
The PTI has demanded the constitution of a judicial commission to probe the events of May 9 and November 26. Additionally, they have requested that the federal and provincial governments refrain from blocking the granting of bails or the suspension of convictions and sentences for all political prisoners arrested in connection with “one or more FIRs registered with respect to any event on May 9, 2023, or any event between November 24 and 27, 2024, or any other political event anywhere.”
However, the government’s negotiating team insists that, in their view, a judicial commission cannot be set up to address matters that are sub judice. Instead, they propose the option of forming a parliamentary committee.
Sanaullah noted that the PTI made a mistake on November 26 by calling off the talks without hearing the government’s side. He stated that the PTI’s civil disobedience call was ongoing, aggressive tweets remained unabated, and the government had also not barred the PTI from protesting. He questioned what benefit the PTI could achieve by abandoning the dialogue process in such a situation.
Sanaullah also raised the issue of whether serving judges would agree to participate in commissions investigating the events of May 9 and November 26.
Siddiqui explained that the government’s committee would remain available only until Tuesday, the day when the meeting between the two sides was scheduled. While he did not share the government’s precise response to the PTI’s demands, he disclosed that the government intended to offer a middle ground.
“Neither will we reject their demands outright, nor will we accept them entirely,” he said. “We will offer them some room to proceed further.” He added that if the PTI had listened to the government’s side, the situation could have improved. He emphasised that the government was willing to make efforts to compensate the PTI to the extent possible.
Meanwhile, Haq expressed regret that the PTI had called off the dialogue process without waiting for the government’s response. He also reiterated the possibility of setting up a parliamentary committee instead of a judicial commission, emphasizing that a judicial commission cannot be formed to address matters that are sub judice in nature.
Originally published in The News
