Sources said on Saturday that the government and the opposition have reached an agreement in talks. A joint press conference by both sides is expected shortly.
During consultations, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, sought face‑saving measures to help the talks succeed. PTI also repeated its demand for a meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan, according to sources.
The PTI delegation also wanted to safeguard the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. Urged that no steps be taken that might worsen the political tensions.
Govt links concessions to end of long march
The government said that the long march would need to be stopped before any help or agreement could be considered. They mentioned that demonstrations or sit-ins could not be allowed at this time.
The government also mentioned that some of the PTI’s requests might be accepted if the party announced that the long march would end.
Earlier, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq led the meeting. Said that the previous day’s session had happened in a friendly environment. He hoped that all groups would keep talking in a friendly way.
Sadiq thanked people from the government, the Pakistan Peoples Party and the opposition for being part of the conversation.
Federal ministers Amir Muqam, Rana Sanaullah, Mohsin Raza Naqvi, Talal Chaudhry and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry were with the government.
Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar and Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani were with the Pakistan Peoples Party.
Barrister Gohar Khan, Raja Nasir Abbas, Aamir Dogar, Asad Qaiser, Haleem Adil Sheikh and Salman Akram Raja were the ones who represented the opposition.
The government and the opposition had met the day before for a round of discussions, but nothing was decided. A new meeting was then planned for today.
When he arrived for the talks, Junaid Akbar spoke to the media. He said that everyone in the PTI party supported dialogue. He said it was not true to say that anyone in the party was against talking. He added that problems should be solved through conversations.
Barrister Gohar criticized the comments made by Khawaja Asif. Asked him to think again about what he said. He said that what the ministers said had hurt the country a lot.
Gohar said the talks had not been delayed. He said that what some ministers and others said had made people feel sad. He said that talks were important for the country, for the nation, for democracy, for the provinces to have their power, and for a strong government.
He hoped that the talks would lead to some results.
