Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has questioned the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) seriousness in the ongoing talks with the federal government, calling the negotiations a mere mockery.
Speaking exclusively to Geo News on Monday, the 75-year-old minister said that he did not have the authority to ensure the success or failure of the talks with the PTI, adding that however, he firmly doubted the motives of the former ruling party’s leaders.
The minister’s remarks come after National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq summoned the “decisive” third session of the negotiation committees representing the government and the opposition PTI on January 16.
The much-anticipated in-camera session will be held at 11:30am at the Parliament House, during which the former ruling party is likely to present its demands in writing before the government’s team.
The PML-N’s stalwart remarked, “I am 100% suspicious of the PTI’s intentions. They are merely buying time as their objectives are entirely different.”
“The PTI leaders are not serious about bringing their leader Imran Khan out of prison through negotiations.”
The 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been behind bars since August last year after he was sentenced in Toshakhana case-I — one of the dozens of cases registered against the former premier since his ouster from power in April 2022.
Referring to the criticism the PTI leaders subjected him to, the ruling party’s senior politician said that these people had “the game in their hands”.
“I am being targeted as if I am trying to derail the talks.”
Khawaja Asif said that he wanted the negotiations to succeed even if there is dishonesty involved. However, there is not a single point so far that indicates progress toward a meaningful outcome, he added.
He further alleged that the PTI leaders did not want the talks to bear fruit; instead, they were finding someone to blame for any failure.
Hence, it is “a waste of time”, as they have some other motives, the minister said, adding that these are not negotiations but a mockery of dialogue.”
He said that the PML-N leadership, including the party’s supremo Nawaz Sharif, and several politicians including Rana Sanaullah, are in favour of negotiations.
“I also support talks. But, the PTI clearly doesn’t,” he added.
PTI seeks progress on demands
Following the meeting with the PTI founder, the former ruling party had announced that they were ready for the third round of talks with the ruling coalition.
The date for the crucial meeting was fixed following a telephonic conversation between PTI leader Asad Qaiser and the NA speaker, sources told Geo News on Monday.
A day earlier, addressing a joint press conference alongside PTI senior leaders Omar Ayub Khan and Asad Qaiser, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) head Sahibzada Hamid Raza, who also serves as the spokesperson for the negotiation team, urged the government to make progress on their demands during the upcoming round of dialogue.
He called on the government to establish an “impartial judicial commission” headed by a senior Supreme Court judge to investigate the events of May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024.
“No progress has been made in the negotiations so far,” he said, emphasising the need for the government to act on their demands, particularly the establishment of the judicial commission.
Stressing that the release of political prisoners and the formation of a judicial commission were integral to their demands, Raza said that PTI would submit their two demands in writing to the government’s team during the upcoming session.
Raza warned that the dialogue would no longer continue if the judicial commission was not constituted and the former ruling party would not extend the deadline for talks with the government beyond January 31.
“Show the CCTV footage if you [the government] believe PTI is responsible [for the May 9 violence],” he demanded.
