Imran Khan asks his party to call off talks with govt over its failure to form judicial commissions

Islamabad, Jan 23 (PTI) Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has asked his party on Thursday to end the ongoing negotiations with the government over its failure to form a judicial commission within the seven-day deadline.

The government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) launched talks last month to end political instability. The two sides have held three rounds of talks. During the last round on January 16, Khan's party handed over a charter of demands to the government team to accept it within seven days.

One of the key demands is the formation of judicial commissions to prove the events of May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024. The government has said that the next meeting is expected to take place on January 28, when it will formally respond to the PTI demands.

However, PTI chairman Gohar Khan told reporters after a prison meeting with Khan that the party founder decided to halt talks as the government had not formed the two commissions.

"The government committed to forming a commission within seven days but failed to deliver," Gohar said. “The founder of PTI has categorically announced that no further rounds of negotiations will take place. The government’s failure to follow through on its commitments leaves no reason to continue the talks.” Earlier, opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan also warned that further negotiations would be futile without concrete steps on the commissions.

Khan has been in jail since August 2023, but his party leaders regularly meet him to discuss legal cases against him and the prevailing political situation.

The formation of commissions within seven days was the key demand by the PTI negotiating team. It also demanded that the judicial commissions should be composed of three senior judges from the Supreme Court or high courts, with proceedings open to the public and the media.

Rana Sanaullah, an aide to the prime minister and part of the negotiating team, criticized the rigidity of the PTI. “Negotiations are not a decree,” he said.

Senator Irfan Siddiqui, another member of the official team and spokesperson for the government’s negotiation committee, said that the government promised to respond to the PTI demands.

“We will present our response to the dialogue committee within seven working days, and we will submit our replies on January 28.” Responding to a question about the PTI’s refusal to attend the next meeting until the commissions were formed, the senator appeared confident that the opposition party would continue the dialogue.

“They (PTI) will definitely join the next meeting, and they should because the dialogue was started by them,” said Siddiqui.

However, in a WhatsApp message to reporters, PTI said that the talks were over.

“All talks are over. No commission, no talks. It was short-lived and proved that the government was never serious. The only demand that was being put forward was for Imran Khan to accept house arrest, which was never possible. Imran Khan will not accept any relief until his party members are released,” it said. PTI SH ZH ZH