The NA secretariat announced on Monday that National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq will preside over an in-camera meeting between the PTI and federal government negotiation teams on January 2.
The PTI’s requests for the release of party workers who have been imprisoned and the establishment of a judicial panel to look into the events of May 9, 2023, and November 26 will be discussed at the second meeting between the negotiating parties.
Sadiq “will chair a 2nd meeting (in-camera) on negotiations between Treasury and Opposition on Thursday, the 2nd January, 2025 at 11:30am” at Parliament House, per the announcement, a copy of which can be found on Dawn.com.
When Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza declared on December 26 that the PTI would formally give the government till January 31 to wrap up ongoing negotiations, the date of January 2 was already stated.
Raza stated that the deadline for negotiations is January 31. “This deadline will be formally given to the government by (Opposition Leader in the National Assembly) Omar Ayub on January 2, when our committee meets with them to continue the negotiations.”
The PTI’s relationship with the government and establishment has deteriorated significantly since its founder, Imran Khan, was imprisoned last year on the basis of multiple cases. Over the past year, the PTI has staged a number of protests, the majority of which became violent in response to governmental crackdown.
Tensions increased following the PTI’s power show and allegations of supporter killings, which prompted calls for the party to be banned. Imran, however, modified his position and established a committee for negotiations.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also established a committee on the suggestion of NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, and negotiations between the parties started to reduce tensions.
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