Pakistan govt, Imran Khan's party agree to continue talks to resolve contentious issues

Islamabad: The Pakistan government and the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in their maiden meeting on Monday agreed to continue talks to address contentious issues, including the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.

The long-anticipated talks between the committees representing the government and the PTI were chaired by the National Assembly (NA) Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, who had last week announced to facilitate the two sides in their effort to defuse the prevailing political tension.

Those who attended from the government side include Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, PM’s political aide Rana Sanaullah, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, former premier Raja Parvez Ashraf, former minister Naveed Qamar, lawmaker Farooq Sattar and Privatisation Minister Aleem Khan.

PTI was represented by former speaker Asad Qaiser, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, and Senator Raja Nasir Abbas.

Sadiq thanked the government's leadership and senior leaders of the opposition for holding the talks. He announced that the next session would be held on January 2 and PTI’s team would present a charter of their demands in the next meeting.

"We discussed things about past and present and I hope that if we work together for the country's betterment, it will strengthen the political stability, strengthen democracy and help in dealing with challenges faced by Pakistan," he said after the meeting.

Senator Irfan Siddiqui read out the communiqué regarding the talks that both sides described the talks as a positive development and emphasised the importance of keeping the negotiations ongoing.

Both committees expressed goodwill, saying that Parliament is the appropriate forum for resolving issues, the handout said.

PTI’s Qaiser informed the members that several members of his committee could not attend due to court proceedings.

It was agreed that both sides stand united in the fight against terrorism. A tribute was also paid to the martyrs for their sacrifice. There was also a declaration of support for standing alongside the forces in the war against terrorism.

The talks began amidst the ongoing political tension between the government and PTI as the latter was demanding the release of all political leaders, including Imran Khan.