ISLAMABAD: As the second round of talks between the ruling coalition (PDM) and the PTI concluded with hopes of a thaw on Friday, the third and final round would take place on Tuesday at 11am.
PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said they had placed their suggestions before the government. “However, it is to be noted that 33 PTI activists at PTI chief Imran Khan’s appearance before the IHC were arrested without any pliable reason,” he added.
He went on to say that arrests would sabotage the process of negotiations. “If you want matters to settle, arrests must be stopped,” he added. PTI leader Farrukh Habib, he said, was barred from travelling abroad.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said talks were held in a good environment. “We will put forward two suggestions placed by the PTI before the allies,” he added. We saw improvement, he said, and no deadlock on both sides.
PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, speaking to the media after the meeting, said the talks incepted with the mention of arrests of PTI activits. “We will travel to Lahore tomorrow and will take Imran Khan into confidence,” he added.
Earlier, sources had said the PTI suggested the government to announce the date of dissolution of the National Assembly before presenting the budget. “It also suggested to dissolve the assembly soon after presenting the budget,” sources added.
The PTI put three conditions before the government; dissolve the National Assembly (NA) and other provincial assemblies, amend the constitution to hold general elections simultaneously in the country that required the NA Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to take back the PTI MNA’s resignations, and hold general elections in July, sources said.
“However, the government does not seem to be agreeing to the PTI’s demands,” sources added.
Imran Khan, at an informal conversation with journalists during his appearance at the IHC, had said his party would initiate talks with the government only if the ruling coalition was ready to immediately dissolve the assemblies and go for elections.
Negotiations come as the top court had recommended both sides to engage in dialogue to develop consensus besides warning the government that its order for holding polls on May 14 was effective if both sides failed to reach an agreement.
Fawad Chaudhry hoped to see “negotiations moving ahead” today.
Read more: Government, PTI decide to break deadlock on elections issue
