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Wednesday February 12, 2025

Govt was deliberating on committee instead of judicial commission, says Tarar

"PTI was bound to wait for govt's reply till deadline, now onus is on them"

By Web Desk
January 23, 2025
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar gestures while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on July 1, 2024. — APP
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar gestures while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on July 1, 2024. — APP

ISLAMABAD: Following the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) decision to quit ongoing talks, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar asserted that the government was deliberating on the formation of a committee instead of a judicial commission in light of the former ruling party's demand.

"It is not necessary to constitute a commission...we were deliberating on a middle ground to take things forward," the minister said while speaking on Geo News programme 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath'.

Earlier in the day, incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan "called off" negotiations with the government due to its failure to establish a judicial commission within seven days.

Speaking to the media outside Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that Khan expressed his frustration over the delay, saying that the government's failure to act for the formation of a judicial commission leaves no reason to continue the talks.

"The founder of PTI has categorically announced that no further rounds of negotiations will take place," Gohar said. "The government made announcements but has yet to follow through, which is why Imran Khan decided to end the negotiations."

Negotiations between the PML-N-led government and PTI began in late December to ease political tensions. However, weeks of talks — with three sessions taking place so far — have made little or no progress on key matters.

The Khan-founded party, in its written charter of demands presented to the government during the third session on January 16, had demanded the formation of two judicial commissions — mutually nominated by the PTI and the government within seven days — and the release of "political prisoners".

The former ruling party's demands of two judicial commissions pertained to an inquiry into the May 9, 2023 riots as well the November 26 crackdown on the PTI supporters in Islamabad last year.

Speaking during today's programme, Tarar said that the PTI's decision to quit talks was based on "malicious intent and made in haste".

"Our response to PTI's demands was to come," he said, adding that "extensive discussions" were held regarding the charter of demands.

Castigating the former ruling party, the minister said that they should have found "a legitimate excuse" to prove they had been victimised. "PTI was bound to wait for the government's reply till the deadline, now the onus is on the party," he added.

'Reconsider your decision'

Earlier, PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui — spokesperson for the government's negotiation committee — termed the PTI's decision "unfortunate", urging the former ruling party to "reconsider it as the deadline of seven working days ends on January 28".

"When they [PTI] had knocked on our door and handed over a questionnaire, they should have listened to our answers," he said while speaking to journalists outside the Parliament House on Thursday.

"It is hard to ascertain as to what went wrong in the last seven days that led the party to give up on talks?"

"They [PTI] were quick in starting it and are now making a hasty retreat. They are quitting with the same impatience they started it. We are asking them to stay put and let the weather improve," he added.

The PML-N Senator further said that the government committee took the PTI's demands seriously and formed a sub-committee, which includes seven allied parties, to chalk out a written response.

"We had almost formed an opinion on the PTI’s demands," he said, asking the Imran-founded party to reconsider its decision if they can form an opinion "apart from their founder's opinion".

The spokesperson also said that the government had exhibited restraint at many points during the talks and ignored many actions by the PTI, including posts by Imran on his official X handle.

Furthermore, he said, the government did not raise objections to Imran's ongoing civil disobedience call since it wanted to make progress in talks in the "spirit of democracy and give and take".

He called on the PTI founder to reconsider its course of action or inform the government in writing if the negotiations are over.