The government negotiation committee spokesperson, Senator Irfan Siddiqui had asked the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to review its decision of ending the fourth round of the negotiations.
Speaking to media outside the parliament house on Thursday, Siddiqui said: “The seven-day deadline will be ended on January 28. Our committee has been formed and the work is being underway. It took six weeks to the PTI to come up with its demand.”
“But the PTI is seeking the government’s response in a week. The PTI should had wait for the reply after approaching the government,” said Siddiqui.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart said: “The PTI needs to think that where the party will stand after ending the talks with the government. Will the PTI repeat the events like May 9 or Novemeber 26.”
“If the PTI has decided to end the negotiations so then the onus lies on the party to inform the government in a written form,” he said.
Siddiqui said: “The process of the negotiation was started at the will of the PTI. It was the PTI, who first made the negotiation committee, following which the PML-N had formed the committee.”
“The allies are also the part of the negotiation committee. The three rounds of the talks had been held from December 5 and January 16,” he added.
Siddiqui said: “What the PTI has done [deciding to end the talks] is deplorable. What has happened in these seven days that the PTI has decided to end the talks.”
“The PTI’s deadline has not over yet and the party has ended the talks desperately in the same way it had come to hold the talks with the government,” said Siddiqui.
“We have asked the National Assembly speaker to hold the negotiation committee meeting on January 28,” said Siddiqui.
Also Read: PTI ends talks with govt over Judicial Commission issue
Earlier, it was reported that the PTI had announced the end of its negotiations with the government, citing a lack of cooperation and failure to announce a judicial commission as key reasons.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail, disclosed that PTI Founder Imran Khan made the decision to end the negotiations after the government refused to form a three-judge commission to investigate the May 9, 2023, violent incidents.
He stated: “The PTI is running the civil disobedience movement. It had not been said during the talks that the party [PTI] has tweeted twice about the prime minister.”
“We have not highlighted these matters in the negotiation committee,” he added.
“The PTI leadership would had met the party founder within one to two days. Barrister Gohar Ali Khan had come up with the message despite the fact that he is not a member of the negotiation committee,” said Siddiqui.
The PML-N senator maintained, “We [the government] are not going to compromise on the freedom of expression. The things that the vloggers are doing under the guise of journalism are not the practice of the true journalists.”
He lamented, “My fake columns are being published, but the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is taking no action.”
