The National Dialogue Committee (NDC), formed to promote political reconciliation and dialogue, has urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to release senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders held at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail on parole to help advance negotiations.
In a letter to the prime minister, the committee said the move was essential to ensure leadership, transparency and meaningful outcomes in the dialogue process.
The NDC welcomed the prime minister’s offer to hold talks with the opposition, describing it as a “golden opportunity” in view of the country’s ongoing political, economic and institutional crises.
Notably, the letter does not mention PTI founder Imran Khan. Instead, it focuses on the need for senior party leaders outside Adiala Jail to lead and sustain the negotiation process effectively.
The committee’s key demand is the parole release of PTI leaders currently detained at Kot Lakhpat Jail, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Umar Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mahmoodur Rashid and former senator Ijaz Chaudhry.
The NDC said releasing these leaders would allow them to play an effective role in negotiations and provide the necessary leadership for the process.
It added that the success of dialogue depends on practical confidence-building measures, and that releasing detained leaders would help create a positive and trust-based environment, facilitating the restoration of mutual trust among political stakeholders.
The committee also appealed to all political parties to rise above personal and party interests and work toward consensus on a Charter of Democracy and a Charter of Economy, which it said were essential for long-term political stability and economic recovery.
The letter is signed by former PTI leaders Mahmood Maulvi, Imran Ismail and Fawad Chaudhry, who set up the dialogue committee in an effort to open channels for talks between the government and PTI.
A copy of the letter was shared with the media by Fawad Chaudhry.
