Pakistan: PM Shehbaz expresses willingness to resume talks with Imran Khan's party

Islamabad [Pakistan], January 30 (ANI): Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed willingness to resume talks with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and offered to constitute a parliamentary committee to address ongoing issues, The Express Tribune reported.
During the federal cabinet meeting, Sharif recalled earlier talks with PTI, which started with the formation of a committee after PTI's offer. He said that Imran Khan-founded party had submitted written demands through National Assembly Speaker, which the government was expected to respond to in writing. However, PTI cancelled the scheduled meeting on January 28.
Shehbaz Sharif stressed that it was logical to respond to the written demands in writing. He recounted that after the elections in 2018, when the opposition entered Parliament with black armbands, Pakistan's then-PM Imran Khan had initiated constituting a parliamentary committee to probe concerns related to election.
He said that PTI never constituted a judicial commission but rather a committee, according to The Express Tribune report. Pakistan PM called on PTI to resume talks and work together to form a new committee to probe elections held in 2018 and 2024 and bring out the facts.
Earlier on Wednesday, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Khan accused the government of deliberately avoiding dialogue and ignoring the party's demand for the establishment of a judicial commission, The Express Tribune reported.
Speaking to reporters outside Rawalpindi Kacheri on Wednesday, he stated that PTI had formally requested the government to establish a judicial commission to address their key concerns. However, the government did not respond to their demand.
He said, "They did not want talks to take place or lead to a resolution."He accused the authorities of deliberately delaying the talks. He claimed, "We presented our demands, but the government took no serious steps. If they were sincere, they would have provided a timely response."
Gohar Ali Khan added that officials had promised to respond by January 28 in a committee room. However, he stated that PTI was not given details regarding the decision in advance. He emphasized that the Imran Khan-founded party initiated the dialogue process despite facing political pressure.
Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq had invited PTI and government representatives for the fourth round of talks on Tuesday. However, PTI representatives did not attend the meeting.
Later, the Pakistan government announced that its negotiation committee would wait until January 31, and if PTI changes its decision to end the talks, the process could restart. Talks between the government and the opposition began in December to address political tensions. Since then, the two sides have met thrice, Express Tribune reported. (ANI)