ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party has decided to walk out of talks with the government aimed at defusing tensions that have dominated the country’s political landscape for the past three years, leaving opposition parties and the law Prompting fear of new street conflicts between. Execution.
After three rounds of talks, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) tasked the government with considering the charter of demands it presented in the last dialogue on January 16. Chairman Gohar Ali Khan announced that the party would withdraw from negotiations following instructions from Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023.
Talking to reporters outside the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi where the former prime minister was held, Ali Khan said the PTI founder did not agree with the government forming a judicial committee to investigate the violent incidents. He said that he had given instructions that no further negotiations would take place. Two days in Pakistan’s recent history.
“The government has made an announcement but it has not been followed up yet. Therefore, Imran Khan has decided to end the negotiations,” Ali Khan told the media on Thursday.
However, government officials claim they have not yet made a decision on the Judiciary Committee’s request. The government said it was forming a subcommittee and consulting coalition partners involved in the negotiating team.
Senator Irfan Siddiqui, a member of the government committee, questioned PTI’s sudden decision to withdraw from the talks when they were still ongoing.
“When did we say we would not form a judicial committee? We took these requests very seriously,” Siddiqui said Thursday evening. “We had a discussion among ourselves. What PTI said about pulling out is very unfortunate. We don’t know what happened in the last seven days,” he added.
“Continued struggle”
Talks between the PTI and the government began last December and are aimed at eliminating the political tensions that have gripped the country since April 2022, when Khan’s PTI government was toppled through a parliamentary vote of no confidence. We are aiming for
Three rounds were held, during which the PTI formed two judicial committees and presented a charter of demands, including the release of “political prisoners.”
Ali Khan, who chairs the PTI in Imran Khan’s absence, said the party continues to protest and engages with other political parties across the country.
“We will continue our struggle according to the constitution and the law,” he said. “We will start the movement in cooperation with all political parties.”
The two judicial commissions requested by PTI were aimed at investigating the events of May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024.
In May 2023, former Prime Minister Khan was briefly detained in a corruption case for which he was convicted last Friday.
During his brief detention, PTI supporters launched violent protests across the country, targeting public buildings and military offices and installations, including the army headquarters in Rawalpindi.
Thousands of PTI workers and leaders have since been arrested, more than 100 have been tried in secret military courts, and more than 80 have recently been sentenced to three to 10 years in prison. Imran Khan also faces charges of inciting rebellion and “terrorism” in connection with those events.
In November 2024, the PTI began marching to Islamabad, calling it a “final call” for Imran Khan’s release. However, law enforcement dispersed the protesters and the PTI claimed 12 workers were killed by security forces in the clashes, which the government denies.
“Bolts from nowhere”
The start of talks between the two sides is seen as a positive step and an invitation to regular parliamentary politics at a time when the country faces security challenges in the form of growing attacks from armed groups. It raised my hopes for a comeback.
Government legal spokesperson Aqeel Malik expressed surprise at PTI’s decision, calling it “out of nowhere.”
“We have agreed to seven working days and discussions are proceeding carefully on the demands put forward by PTI, we are talking with our coalition partners and seeking legal advice,” Malik said.
He added that there was no resistance on the government’s part to accept PTI’s demands, but stressed the need to avoid hasty decisions. “There was no indication that we decided to form or not form a committee. But the PTI suddenly decided to go out on its own,” he added.
Meanwhile, PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari called the talks “sham” and accused the government of using them to buy time.
“We pulled the trigger on the consultation because our condition above all else was to form a committee. But if the government wasn’t going to do that, what’s the point of continuing? ” Buhari told Al Jazeera.
The UK-based PTI leader claimed that forming the committee was the easiest step and suggested that the government’s reluctance showed bad faith.
“They weren’t serious about the talks to begin with,” he said.
“Opportunity spurred me on.”
Analysts have called PTI’s sudden speech “abnormal”. Political commentator Asma Shirazi said that by submitting a charter of demands, the PTI is willing to eliminate tensions and especially regret their strike.
“It’s very incomprehensible that they decided to abandon the talks even though they are making progress,” she said.
“They should have waited for the deadline. If the government failed, the PTI would have had the moral high ground to put pressure on them,” Siraj said.
Political analyst Talat Hussein noted the different approaches between both sides.
“For the government, it was a gradual process. But PTI was expecting a breakthrough in just a few rounds,” he told Al Jazeera.
Hussain echoed Siraj and said this was an opportunity to lock up the government, but PTI gave it a boost.
“They could have tested the government by putting the ball in the court and waiting for them to act on the demands laid out, which the government did not do after subsequent rounds. If so, they could have said the government was not serious and we were leaving. But they showed no patience,” he said.
More upset to come?
Since being removed from power three years ago, PTI has organized frequent protest marches, often paralyzing the country with road closures and internet blackouts.
PTI leader Buhari has shown that the party can return to the streets. “Our supporters are willing to come out for Khan, even at great personal risk,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s current “suffocating environment” requires a resolution. .
However, government spokesman Malik said the protests must remain peaceful.
“If they violate the constitution through anarchist politics or violence, the government is equipped to respond,” he said.
Islamabad-based analyst Siraj said he expected the PTI to return to agitation.
“Finally, the PTI tried to blackmail the government by besieging Islamabad in November. With the Champions Trophy scheduled for next month, this means the PTI will once again use it as a window of opportunity to sow chaos. ” she wondered.
Pakistan is scheduled to host the top eight cricketing nations in February, the first such major event to be held since 1996, when it co-hosted the Cricket World Cup along with India and Sri Lanka. is.
PTI last year gave the call for protests in Islamabad in October, coinciding with the date of the Shanghai Cooperation Agency summit held in Islamabad. However, a day before the event, PTI decided to withdraw the call.
However, Hussein was not entirely convinced that the PTI would achieve its goals by restarting the agitation on the streets.
“They can’t get any more upset than they already have in the past few years. They’ve set a certain bar to bring people onto the streets and cause mayhem. They can’t get to that level. We need to match or exceed it,” he said. “It will be interesting to see what path they take now.”
