ISLAMABAD: A second round of talks between the government and the opposition was held on Saturday to discuss various issues, with the PTI’s planned Oct 4 march to Islamabad being the most prominent matter.
The meeting at Parliament House, which began shortly before 5pm, went on for over four hours. However, with both sides seemingly agreeing not to speak to the media before matters conclude, official details on the outcome are still awaited.
The meeting, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, was aimed at defusing the country’s ongoing political crisis. The dialogue comes ahead of the PTI’s planned Oct 4 protest march demanding the release of party founder Imran Khan, which has emerged as the latest point of contention between the party and the federal government.
As the huddle began, the NA speaker expressed his hope that the talks would proceed in the same “cordial atmosphere” as Friday’s, according to a post on the NA’s X account.
The government side included Minister for States and Frontier Regions Amir Muqam, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah and Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry.
Senator Sherry Rehman, along with MNAs Syed Naveed Qamar and Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani, represented the PPP.
The opposition delegation comprised Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, PTI interim chairman Gohar Ali Khan, Opposition Chief Whip Amir Dogar, MNA Asad Qaiser, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh.
KP CM adamant on long march
Earlier in the day, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi voiced his determination to hold the long march on Oct 4 and vowed to prevent a repeat of the events of May 9, 2023.
In response, Chaudhry said the KP CM’s statements could affect the ongoing negotiation process and urged PTI leaders not to engage in such discourse.
In his post, CM Afridi said PTI was the largest and most popular political party in Pakistan. “Pakistan is a democratic country whose Constitution grants us the right to peaceful protest.”
Detailing his long march plan, Afridi said an “ocean of people” would begin its journey from Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat at 1pm on Oct 4.
The party would continue its struggle until the supremacy of the Constitution and the law was ensured in Pakistan and an independent judiciary was restored, the PTI leader added.
“All demands of the PTI are in accordance with the constitution and the law.”
In his post, he stressed that the party would “neither allow May 9 to happen again nor allow anyone else to repeat it”.
Reacting to the KP CM’s remarks, Chaudhry said Afridi’s statements could affect the ongoing negotiation process even though the government wanted them to be “meaningful and fruitful”.
He urged PTI leaders to refrain from making such statements until the final stage of the negotiations, so that the dialogue process was not “harmed”.
“The language that Sohail Afridi is using against his opponents and our leadership does not seem like that of a chief minister; his statements are extremely indecent and reprehensible,” Chaudhry said.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, PPP’s Rehman stressed that her party was making efforts to solve issues in a democratic manner.
Asked about KP CM being adamant on the PTI march, the PPP leader said it was up to the PTI, but added that she would refrain from making comments before the talks conclude.
While acknowledging that each party had its positions, she noted that the objective of holding negotiations was to “discuss those positions”.
Opposition decides SOPs
Prior to the meeting with the government, the opposition held a meeting in which standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the talks were finalised.
It was decided that it would be proposed during the meeting that no one from either side would speak to the media during the talks and that a joint statement would be issued afterwards to avoid any misunderstanding.
Talking to Dawn, TTAP spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Ahmed Yousufzai said comments made by PPP leader Sherry Rehman on Friday had triggered a controversy, leaving the situation unpleasant until late at night.
“The opposition alliance held a meeting before the start of the talks, during which the government side’s views regarding the law and order situation in KP were discussed. After consultation with the KP chief minister, a response was prepared, which will be presented to the government side during the meeting today,” he said.
Replying to a question, Akhunzada said it was also decided that it would be proposed during the meeting that no one would issue a media statement regarding the dialogue and that a joint statement would be issued after the meeting.
He said the joint statement would reduce chances of confusion and differences of opinion.
‘Political solutions to political problems’
In a post on X on Friday, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, an ally of the PML-N government, pressed PTI to unconditionally call off the long march, which, he said, would allow the country to come together to address the threat of terrorism and threats emanating from neighbouring countries.
Bilawal also welcomed the government’s decision to work with his party and jointly engage with the opposition “to find political solutions to political problems”.
Meanwhile, PTI KP Secretary Information Shaukat Yousafzai said on Friday that the party’s protest march would start from the southern districts and be led by CM Afridi.
“The march on October 4 will take place at any cost,” he said in a statement.
Also on Friday, the army’s top brass warned that any attempt at creating agitation or a “May 9-like situation” would be dealt with “decisive force”.
For the first time in almost three years, representatives of the federal government and the opposition PTI formally came together on Friday for talks aimed at easing the political tension in the country, and apprised each other of their positions.
Though neither side shared its specific demands with the media, both were hopeful of a positive outcome from the meeting.
Sources on both sides told Dawn that the PTI wants its incarcerated founder Imran Khan to be shifted from jail to a hospital for medical treatment, while the government has insisted that the opposition call off its protest march on Islamabad.
In August, PTI announced a long march to Islamabad on Sept 27 against what it called the “illegal imprisonment” of Imran. However, a couple of days before its scheduled long march, the party postponed the march until Oct 4.
Emergency option
The talks come as the PTI remains resolute on the march. Federal ministers have warned that the Centre would have no option but to impose governor’s rule or an emergency in KP, citing the province’s security situation and the protest call, while the PTI has warned of dire consequences if such a step is taken.
The decision to hold talks was taken on Thursday at a presidency meeting attended by President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Mr Naqvi, Attorney General Mansoor Awan and other PPP and PML-N leaders.
A source privy to the huddle told Dawn the emergency option was discussed, but participants agreed to first give the opposition a chance to settle matters peacefully through dialogue, and to seriously consider an emergency only if the PTI did not back down. The coalition also believes the march will remain confined to KP and not enter Punjab or Islamabad.
On Thursday, Sanaullah said the government and PTI were engaged in “off-the-record talks” over the protest, and that the decision on the march rested with the PTI’s senior leadership, “with whom off-the-record consultation is ongoing”. “So let us see, even if they do not postpone it, we have arrangements in place to stop them,” he warned.
Separately, the prime minister has invited Achakzai for dialogue, and the two are expected to meet in the coming days.
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