Omar Ayub rejects talks, Ayaz says no offer made

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Omar Ayub Khan Saturday refused to engage in negotiations with the government while National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq said no talks offer was made to the party.

Omar Ayub, who is also the leader of the opposition in National Assembly, said on Saturday the “chapter of talks is now closed”, saying political negotiations were not based on mere wishes but required firm commitments, which the government failed to demonstrate.

He criticised the government’s approach towards negotiations and said that while his party’s committee had initiated discussions in good faith, the other side (government) neither displayed goodwill nor intent, which led to a deadlock.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the National Assembly clarified on Saturday that Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had not formally invited the PTI for negotiations but merely stated that, as the custodian of the House, his doors remain open to all members.

Responding to a statement by Omar Ayub Khan, the spokesman said a formal invitation for talks would only be extended if requested by either the government or the opposition. He reiterated that the Speaker’s role is to facilitate dialogue and that both his chamber and residence remain accessible to all lawmakers.

Separately, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, PMLN’s Parliamentary Party Leader in the Senate and the committee for talks with the PTI spokesperson, made it clear on Saturday that the government’s negotiation committee, formed to engage with the PTI, had become “practically non-functional and ineffective”. In a statement on social media platform X, he said regardless of whether the committee was formally dissolved, it was no longer operational. He noted that the PTI unilaterally withdrew from the negotiation process and subsequently rejected the prime minister’s offer to reconsider their stance.

The senator accused the PTI of returning to its “home ground of violent protests” and stated that if the party later decides to engage in talks, the government may reassess its options at that time.

Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan clarified on Saturday that the party was not seeking intervention from any country, including the United States, for the release of its founder, Imran Khan. “We are not asking any country, including the US, for Imran Khan’s release. He has made no deal and will not make any deal. As Imran Khan himself stated, we are negotiating not for a deal, but for Pakistan and democracy,” Gohar said in a statement.

He reiterated that Imran Khan will seek relief solely through legal means and dismissed speculation about any political compromise.