January 13, 2025
Islamabad – Claims and counter-claims between the government and opposition continued on Saturday, with the PML-N-led alliance and PTI accusing each other of sabotaging negotiations and lacking seriousness despite launching talks after months of deadlock.
As the blame game continued, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq claimed that neither the government nor the PTI had approached him for the next round of talks despite his willingness to provide the venue.
He said it was impossible for him to arrange a meeting between PTI committee members and jailed party founder Imran Khan and advised them to contact the government for this purpose.
Sadiq, however, said that PTI leader Asad Qaiser had contacted him on January 4 to inform him that the party's desire to meet Imran Khan had been communicated to the government. He said he had advised Mr Kaiser to contact Rana Sanaullah and other government representatives directly over the matter.
However, Asad Qaiser said dawnIt confirmed it had contacted the parliamentary spokesman on January 4, but said Mr Sadiq had been unavailable since then. “I tried to contact him on Saturday, even sent text messages, but there was no reply. I don't know if he is in Pakistan or still abroad. I want to ask whether the government is serious about negotiations and what are the obstacles in the negotiation process,” he said.
Mr. Kaiser stressed that the PTI was conducting negotiations solely in the interest of Pakistan, considering the law and order situation in Pakistan and tensions at the borders. “Pakistan cannot be run the way the current government has been trying to run it. PTI is the largest political party and our leaders are in jail just for Pakistan,” he added.
'PML-N leaders sabotage talks'
He criticized the remarks of Muslim League-North leaders, claiming that they were sabotaging the negotiation process. In a video message, he accused Defense Minister Khawaja Asif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz of trying to hinder ongoing negotiations.
The former Congress spokesperson reiterated PTI's commitment to dialogue despite the November 26 incident in which “workers of peaceful political parties were denied the right to protest and summarily dismissed”. “Even in the face of illegal actions by the government, we negotiate for the betterment of Pakistan,” he said.
Mr. Keizer condemned the trial of PTI workers by military courts, calling the practice unconstitutional. “We will not be deterred by the government's misuse of military courts to try civilians. We stand firm,” he declared.
He also accused the government of reneging on its promise to facilitate a meeting between the PTI committee and Imran Khan during the negotiations. “Now they are resorting to excuses and delaying tactics,” he said.
Mr Kaiser stressed the need for political and economic stability and reiterated the PTI's demands for a constitutional state, a strong parliament and an independent judiciary.
He concluded by saying that Imran Khan is becoming a global leader and is suffering in jail for the future of Pakistan. “The whole country stands with him,” he said.
Press Trust Central Information Minister Sheikh Waqas Akram on Saturday stressed the party's commitment to making the dialogue process meaningful, pointing to Imran Khan's decision to allow the party's negotiating team to submit demands in writing , to prove its sincerity.
He accused those who “fraudulently” seized power of trying to derail the negotiations by deploying allies to derail the process.
He said these elements see Imran Khan's release as their political downfall and will resort to deceitful and retaliatory tactics to unjustly imprison him.
Mr Akram also criticized the Muslim League's social media team for its activities against Imran Khan's wife Bushira Bibi. Referring to Maryam Nawaz's comments on Hassan Niazi, the PTI leader praised his loyalty to Imran Khan and their transformation of Pakistan in unfavorable circumstances A shared vision of a true welfare state.
“Court decides to release Imran”
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said nothing was known about Imran Khan's release as it was a matter for the courts to decide. Addressing the business community in Sialkot, he stressed that while talks with PTI are ongoing, they are yet to be formalized in writing. He said only the PTI could explain why the party was unwilling to put the demand in writing.
He said that the PTI delegation had made arranging a meeting with Imran Khan a condition for the progress of the negotiations, which he felt had led to the delay in the negotiation process.
Asif recalled that in an interview he had suggested that both sides sign minutes of the talks to formalize the process.
However, he pointed out that the PTI tweet followed his advice and thereafter, talks with PTI were not held. He added that the tweet undermined the dialogue process and hindered the progress of negotiations.
Asif admitted there was no problem in arranging a meeting with Imran Khan but expressed concern that such meetings were often used for political purposes.
According to him, after every meeting, the PTI held a press conference or rally, which he claimed hindered meaningful negotiations. However, he suggested that if a meeting with Imran Khan could help advance dialogue, it should be facilitated.
Defense minister accuses PTI delegation of exploiting issue
Imran Khan was detained for political gain.
