The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has called for the Shehbaz Sharif government to allow unrestricted and unfettered access to the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan. PTI claims that any meetings with the government about easing political tensions must be preceded by such meetings with Khan. According to *The Dawn*, PTI’s demand is one of the main conditions for moving forward with negotiations.
The government and PTI have so far conducted two rounds of negotiations, with a third round likely this week. The objective of these talks is to end the political rifts and bring stability to the situation in the country. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan maintained that the third round would not occur unless Imran Khan was granted a meeting with PTI leaders without being under surveillance.
He explained at a press conference in Islamabad that the party was not negotiating for a deal but for the people’s interests. He insisted that the draft of the negotiation should be finalized without delay. Oppn leader in National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan reiterated this claim as he added that the government demanded only an open, intelligence-agencies-free meeting between him and Imran Khan at the time of their last visit. The opposition leader lashed at Adiala Jail for conditions considered unfit to carry out any free-minded dialogue.
Khan further added, “The commitment of the government to negotiations will be clear if they allow us to meet Imran in an unrestricted setting, as we need to get our instructions from him.”
As a reaction to the disturbance in the country, Imran Khan formed a five-member committee to start dialogue with any party, marking a change in the PTI’s parliamentary strategy. In return, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also constituted a committee consisting of members from the ruling coalition.
The two sides met on December 23 and again on January 2. So far, however, nothing much has come out of the talks because PTI continues to demand meetings with Khan so often that all its demands be finalised. A third round of talks is expected later this week.
The relation of PTI with the government and the establishment has been getting worse since Imran Khan was imprisoned last year on various charges, which often turns violent as a result of state repression during protests.
