Breakthrough in political impasse: Govt forms negotiating committee for dialogue with PTI

ISLAMABAD: In a recent political development, the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed a government negotiating committee that will correspond with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The development came after PTI Chief Barrister Gohar Ali Khan announced that the Speaker National Assembly, Ayaz Sadiq, has guaranteed to constitute a government negotiating team.

The committee, announced on Sunday, has representation from various coalition parties, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Prime Minister’s advisor Rana Sanaullah Khan, and Senator Irfan Siddiqui from PML-N.

Other committee members are Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Naveed Qamar of the PPP, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Abdul Aleem Khan of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan party, and Chaudhry Salik Hussain of the Muslim League-Q.

The formation of the committee is indeed a very important step towards the resolution of continuing political fracas between the government and the PTI. The Prime Minister hopes that these negotiations will prioritize national security and the national interest.

PM  reiterated that the very existence of Pakistan is important and said: “If Pakistan exists, we all exist.” He praised the endeavors of the Speaker National Assembly for enabling the talks. Not everyone, however, is hopeful for the negotiations. PTI leader Omar Ayub has claimed that the government is not serious about holding talks with the PTI.

According to him, the PTI’s negotiation team was not given access to meet the party’s founder in Adiala Jail, and that leaders allowed into the jail could only appear in cases.

Regardless of the challenges, this formation of the commission for negotiations has positively progressed towards finding resolution for the political stalemate.

With representatives from various parties of the coalition, now a conversation should begin for wholesome and fruitful negotiations between the government and the PTI. In conducting the negotiations, other national interests should come first, and the parties should build constructive talks that would ultimately benefit the people of Pakistan.