The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced it will not participate in the upcoming fourth round of negotiations, despite a summons from National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq for the meeting scheduled for January 28 at 11:45 PM.
Sadiq, who has been mediating talks between the government and the opposition, made the announcement of the fourth meeting in an attempt to continue the dialogue. However, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan confirmed to reporters that the party would not attend.
Senator Irfan Siddiqui, spokesperson for the government’s negotiation committee, responded by noting that PTI had not formally notified them of its decision to suspend talks. “We have not received any written communication from them,” he said, emphasizing that the invitation to the meeting still stood.
In a press briefing outside Parliament House, Senator Siddiqui expressed frustration with PTI’s sudden move to call off talks. “We have not ended the negotiations, but when one side abruptly pulls out, who are we supposed to negotiate with?” he said. “Should we just sit in a room and talk to the walls?” He also criticized PTI’s unpredictability, referring to its sudden public announcements and lack of coordination with the negotiation committee. “This is not a game, and they need to move beyond these empty statements,” Siddiqui added, stressing that the meeting was still scheduled for January 28, as agreed.
However, just before reaffirming PTI’s stance, Barrister Gohar had briefly contradicted his earlier position, telling the media that the talks were “on hold.” This was a shift from his earlier statement, when he had cited PTI founder Imran Khan’s directive to call off the talks altogether.
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Public and Political Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, weighed in on the situation, asserting that the government could not be held responsible for the collapse of talks. “We are still open to dialogue, but it follows a clear process,” he said. “One side presents its charter of demands, and the other side responds. Only then can the issues be discussed.”
Sanaullah also remarked that PTI’s leadership was looking to outside figures for guidance on the negotiations, but clarified that these figures were unlikely to engage on political issues. “If PTI still has any doubts, we will address them in the coming days,” he concluded.
