Govt, PTI negotiating committees begin talks in Islamabad | The Express Tribune

The government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) negotiating committees began talks in Islamabad on Friday as both sides sat down at the National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq’s office amid heightened political tensions over the opposition party’s planned long march on October 4.

The development comes amid continued tensions following PTI’s announcement of an Islamabad march. Although the protest was postponed from September 27 to October 4, the standoff between the federal and provincial governments remains unresolved.

The government’s joint negotiating committee held an informal meeting before the talks, with members discussing legal aspects of the negotiations and other issues expected to be raised with PTI.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Adviser to the Prime Minister Amir Muqam and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman were among the government representatives present at the Speaker’s office. PPP leaders Naveed Qamar and Ejaz Jakhrani, along with State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry, also reached the venue. Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry also reached the Speaker’s office.

Speaking to the media before the government-opposition talks began, Talal urged political parties not to create problems for the country by being driven by a single desire.

“May Allah make it so that the opposition parties withdraw the call for the long march,” he said. “The problems of ordinary Pakistanis should come to the fore, not those of political parties,” he added.

The opposition negotiating committee included Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Raja Nasir Abbas, Asad Qaiser, Salman Akram Raja, Aamir Dogar and Haleem Adil Sheikh.

The talks followed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s decision to engage the opposition, with the government and the PPP forming a joint negotiation committee. The move came as PTI prepared for its October 4 long march.

Opposition seeks political consensus

Ahead of the formal talks, PTI and other opposition leaders met Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman at the residence of JI leader Mian Muhammad Aslam.

The meeting was attended by Barrister Gohar, Abbas, Qaiser and Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, while JI chief was accompanied by JI leaders Liaqat Baloch, Mian Muhammad Aslam and Nasrullah Randhawa. The leaders discussed the prevailing political situation, the proposed all-parties conference and the October 4 long march.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Abbas said the All Parties Conference’s (APC) agenda was to find a way out of the country’s crisis and expressed hope that all political parties would join efforts to address the situation.

Hafiz Naeem said JI had accepted the invitation to attend the APC and would support consensus on a national agenda covering peace, law and order and the economy. “Pakistan belongs to no one party or institution,” he said, calling for an end to bloodshed.

The JI chief opposed governor’s rule or emergency in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and any move to suspend the Constitution. He called for meaningful negotiations between the government and PTI and said concerns over PTI founder Imran Khan’s health should be addressed.

Read: Govt, allies strike conciliatory note as PTI firms up march plan

Hafiz Naeem also called for the implementation of Supreme Court decisions in letter and spirit and demanded the release of women arrested in connection with the protests, including Imran’s sisters. He also called for there to be no obstacles to bail for PTI leaders.

Barrister Gohar said the opposition had approached JI as a united political front and would enter talks with the government without preconditions. “We will meet the government with complete sincerity,” Gohar said.

He said the final decision on the long march and its next steps would depend on the government’s attitude. Gohar also said the K-P government had not received its due NFC funds despite increasing the capacity of its police force.

Government calls for dialogue

Also before the talks, Tariq said the prime minister had invited the opposition to negotiations and that the government’s doors remained open for dialogue. He said the government would enter the talks with positive expectations and that dialogue was preferable to confrontation.

He urged the opposition to adopt a political approach and avoid an “onslaught” on Islamabad, while calling on the K-P government to play its role in countering terrorism.

Talal said the government had never hesitated to hold talks and that ego had never come in the way of negotiations. “Both the PML-N and PPP have always tried to resolve issues through dialogue,” he said, expressing hope that the opposition would not miss the opportunity for negotiations.

Tensions escalate

The talks came after weeks of escalating tensions between the federal government and the PTI-led Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government over the party’s planned October 4 march on Islamabad. PTI had initially announced the protest for September 27 but later postponed it to October 4, while the Centre had increasingly discussed constitutional options, including governor’s rule and emergency, citing the deteriorating security situation in the province.

The government and PPP subsequently formed a six-member committee to engage the PTI, with the opposition also signalling willingness to negotiate but insisting on dialogue without preconditions. Barrister Gohar confirmed that the two sides would meet at Speaker Ayaz Sadiq’s office, while maintaining that the long march would proceed unless the party’s concerns were addressed.

The prospect of federal intervention in K-P had become a major point of contention, with federal ministers citing the province’s security situation, while PTI leaders rejected governor’s rule or emergency and called for political engagement instead. K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi also said the October 4 protest would remain peaceful and rejected warnings of federal intervention.