ISLAMABAD: National Assembly (NA) Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq Friday summoned the 4th session of the negotiating committees of the government and the opposition for Tuesday, January 28.
According to a news release, issued by the National Assembly Secretariat, the meeting would be held at 11:45am in Committee Room 5 of the Parliament House. The in-camera session would be chaired by NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.
However, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, while talking to the media at the Parliament House, said on Friday they would not attend any other meeting of the negotiating committee, as per the instructions of party founder Imran Khan. He said they wanted to take the progress of the talks beyond a photo session, but the government did not respond positively.
Opposition leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan said members of the government committee should call a meeting, and take tea themselves.
Later, while holding a press conference at the Parliament House, Barrister Gohar said, “There is a long charge-sheet against us; despite this, the PTI founder asked for talks and had made two demands”.
“The government asked for written demands; and we did so. The [seven-day] deadline has passed, but the government has not announced a judicial commission,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, talking to the media in the Press Gallery here, along with Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz and Ali Muhammad Khan, Barrister Gohar said it was necessary to form two commissions. Hamid Raza’s house was attacked; he was not allowed to meet the PTI founder; the party founder said there should be a neutral umpire.
He said if the government would have announced formation of both commissions, there would have been no problem in another meeting for talks. He said the PTI founder might consider resuming talks if the government announced formation of judicial commissions.
Addressing a protest, organised by the media fraternity against the PECA Act, outside Gate No. 1 of the Parliament House, Omar Ayub called it a black law and a plot to silence tongues. He claimed all the journalistic organisations agree that the PECA Act should not be approved, urging them to forge unity and move forward, the opposition would support them.
Opposition leader in the Senate Shibli Faraz also spoke, saying “at the time of the 26th Amendment, we had said that they would move towards strangling freedom of expression and today we see that strangulation of freedom of the press has started.”
Today, he noted, the custom has started that no one would move forward with their heads held high and the process had started and journalists would not even be able to close their eyes now.
The PTI chairman said that under the guise of information and disinformation, freedom of expression was being stifled.
Commenting on the situation, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, spokesperson for the government’s negotiation committee, said the PTI had been invited to the negotiation committee meeting. “The PTI hasn’t informed [us] in writing about calling off the talks,” he added.
Speaking to the media outside Parliament House earlier, Senator Siddiqui censured the former ruling party for Thursday’s announcement of calling off the parleys. “We have not called off the negotiations, but when one side abruptly ends the talks, whom are we supposed to negotiate with? Should we sit in a room and talk to the walls?” he said.
He criticised the unpredictability of the opposing side, saying: “The issue is that the prison gates open, and someone suddenly makes an announcement without the negotiation committee even being informed.”
“This is not child’s play; they need to move beyond these ‘ifs and buts’,” he said. Reiterating the agreed-upon timeline, he added that as per the agreement, the meeting was to be held on January 28.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Public and Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said the government could not be held responsible for ending negotiations.
“We entered into the dialogue and still want to continue, but there is a way of holding talks. It has always been that one of the parties gives their charter of demands and the other responds to it. The issues are then framed and discussed,” Sanaullah said while speaking on Geo News’ programme ‘Geo Pakistan’
“Those they [PTI] are looking up to won’t have any discussion on any political agenda, as it has been clarified earlier. If they [PTI] still have any kind of confusion, it will be cleared in the coming days,” the former federal minister added.
Separately, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram announced on Friday the party had given the government until midnight to come to the negotiating table. However, he added, “Talks are on hold until further notice”.
He said the fourth round of negotiations with the government would only resume if a decision was made regarding formation of a judicial commission.
Addressing a news conference at the Information Cell in the Peshawar Secretariat, Waqas Akram slammed the amendments to the PECA Act as a ‘black law’ that undermines the Constitution of Pakistan. He warned that the PTI would resist the attempt to control the party through social media restrictions. The PTI leader criticised the MQM and the PPP for their hypocrisy on media freedom and revolution.
He said the decision on future of the protest would be made by the PTI founder chairman Imran Khan, and added that the PTI had clarified that it was not engaged with anyone except the government.
Sheikh Waqas announced that PTI’s MNA Adil Bazai had been reinstated, following a Supreme Court decision. He also expressed concern over the difficult circumstances faced by Bazai’s family in Balochistan.
He regretted that a systematic propaganda campaign had been launched against Bushra Bibi, wife of PTI Imran Khan, and a response would be given. He said efforts were underway to unite political parties with a coherent vision, which would play a significant role in the country’s assembly.
Sheikh Waqas said the attack on Sahibzada Hamid home had harmed the negotiation process with the government, adding that the PTI would not hold negotiations with the government if their leadership were given no respect and their democratic rights were violated.