Pakistan PM forms committee for talks with Imran Khan's party

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed an eight-member negotiation committee on Sunday to engage with Pakistan's main opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), marking a potential breakthrough in a political crisis that has gripped the nation for the past year.

Meanwhile, PTI Information Secretary Waqas Akram Sheikh announced that PTI will meet with the committee on Monday to present their position. "Tomorrow's meeting will reveal how serious the government and its committee are in resolving our issues and addressing the points raised by Imran Khan," Sheikh said in a video statement.

The PTI negotiating team plans to meet Khan in Adiala Jail following the talks to brief him on the progress. Sheikh emphasized that Khan's call for civil disobedience remains in effect and only Khan himself can withdraw it. "The final decision regarding the progress of the talks will be taken by Imran Khan," he added.

Committee members

The committee included senior ruling coalition leaders such as Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, signaling the government's serious intent to engage with the opposition.

Other members include former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, Naveed Qamar, Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Aleem Khan and Chaudhry Salik Hussain.

"If Pakistan prospers, we all prosper," Shehbaz said, while praising the National Assembly Speaker's mediation efforts.

The development follows PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan's request to the speaker on Saturday night to facilitate talks. He had previously signalled willingness to sit down with the government earlier this month.

Gohar has been leading the party since Khan's imprisonment in August 2023 on multiple charges, which PTI maintains are politically motivated.

Marked shift

The development follows an ultimatum by PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, who threatened to call for civil disobedience if his demands are not met by December 22, 2024, and represents a marked shift from both sides' previous hardline stances, though significant obstacles remain, including the fate of Khan and other detained PTI leaders.

The opposition has been demanding Khan's release and fresh elections, claiming February's polls were rigged to prevent his return to power. The former cricket star-turned-politician remains popular despite his ouster in 2022 through a parliamentary no-confidence vote.

Recently, Khan urged overseas Pakistanis to suspend remittances to Pakistan, aiming to pressure the government into action.

Tensions escalated last month when PTI supporters attempted to stage a sit-in near parliament, leading to violent confrontations with security forces who used force to disperse protesters.