Second Round of Government-Opposition Negotiations Underway in Islamabad; PTI Leaders Stress Commitment to Constructive Dialogue
ISLAMABAD: The second round of important talks between the federal government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has now commenced in the Speaker’s chamber of the National Assembly with short breaks for consultation and coordination of leadership.
National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq is presiding over the session, thanking all the factions of the National Assembly for providing this cordial and constructive atmosphere during yesterday’s first meeting.
The second session focused on the importance of leadership and the various leadership stances, which were key highlights.
Amir Muqam, Rana Sanaullah, Mohsin Raza Naqvi, Talal Chaudhry and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry are federal ministers representing the government side in the High-Level Representation. The delegation of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) consists of Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar and Ejaz Hussain Jakhrani whilst the opposition consists of Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Raja Nasir Abbas, Aamir Dogor, Asad Qaiser, Haleem Adil Sheikh and Salman Akram Raja.
PTI leaders Sohail Afridi, while joining the session, had highlighted that there was a complete consensus in the party for a positive dialogue, clarifying that some misguided individuals had given false impression of some factions opposing dialogue and emphasising the importance of peaceful engagement to address issues.
Arguably, Barrister Gohar Khan, the Chairman of PTI, expressed disappointment about the irresponsible statements made by some ministers including Khawaja Asif, and asked for some restraint after being in politics for decades, and also assured that the dialogue would be productive and beneficial for democracy and provincial autonomy.