PTI establishes January 31 as ‘cut-off date’ for negotiations with govt

Chairman of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Sahibzada Hamid Raza has said that the PTI will formally give the government time until January 31 to conclude ongoing negotiations.

After winning the polls in February, PTI-backed candidates faced problems joining any political party registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan. PTI founder Imran Khan sent his winning candidates in the national, KP and Punjab assemblies into the SIC, which was an ally of PTI.

Since Imran’s incarceration last year in several cases, PTI’s relations with the government and the establishment have deteriorated sharply, marked by protests that frequently escalated into violence amid state repression.

Following the turmoil, Imran established a five-member committee to hold talks with “anyone,” signalling a shift in PTI lawmakers’ stance in parliament. In response, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also formed a committee with ruling coalition members.

The first meeting between the government and PTI committees was held on Monday, marking the start of long-awaited negotiations to ease political tensions. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that the ex-premier called for a time frame for the negotiations during which some progress should be made. In response, senior PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah stated that the government would “accommodate such a request”.

Flanked by Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan and PTI leader Asad Qaiser, Raza told a press conference outside Adiala Jail today that the party had settled on a January 31 deadline for the talks.

“The cut-off date for negotiations is January 31,” Raza said. “On January 2, when our committee meets the government to continue the negotiations, Omar Ayub will formally give them this deadline.”

The SIC chairman continued: “This is the first time since 1971 that a political party has been victimised like this. The PTI’s fundamental rights were suspended, our members were tortured and our civil rights and human rights have been stripped.

“As a result, our call to halt remittances will remain in place,” Raza added.

The SIC chairman said that Imran was willing to “forgive” the acts of violence carried out against him. He also emphasised that the party’s demands remained the same, namely judicial probes into the events of May 9, 2023, and November 27 and the release of incarcerated PTI workers and members.

“We are held responsible for May 9 by the other side, we categorically say we are not responsible and the other side is,” he said. “To resolve this issue we need a judicial commission by the SC’s senior-most judges so that there is a comprehensive investigation.”

Speaking about November 26, Raza said “We maintain that live rounds were fired (by the authorities) and have our exact data shows that to date, 13 people have been killed, 64 bullet injuries have been recorded and between 150 and 200 people are missing.”

Demanding an inquiry, The SIC chairman called the state’s heavy-handedness “ an attack on Pakistan’s people and democracy“ and said that those who ordered authorities to fire on PTI supporters were responsible. Raza also reiterated that jailed PTI workers must be released.