PTI, government set to break the ice after prolonged ill-will

A major development in the political landscape is set to unfold as the federal government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are scheduled to hold talks today (Monday).The first in-camera meeting between the two committees will take place at the Parliament House committee room, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.The National Assembly Secretariat has issued a notification of the meeting, and members of both government and opposition committees have been informed.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently formed an eight-member committee for the talks. The committee comprises Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Rana Sanaullah, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Syed Naveed Qamar, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Abdul Aleem Khan, and Chaudhry Salik Hussain.PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar welcomed the formation of the government’s negotiation committee. PTI’s negotiation team comprises Omar Ayub, Ali Amin Gandapur, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Salman Akram Raja, and Asad Qaiser.The PTI has also prepared a draft of demands for the negotiations. The draft includes a list of over 5,000 political prisoners, with former prime minister Imran Khan’s name at the top.Key demands include the release of political prisoners and the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the May 9 and Nov 26 incidents.The PTI has proposed that the judicial commission be composed of three senior judges from the Supreme Court.National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has invited government and PTI negotiation committee members to a meeting on Monday.