PTI submits formal demands as 3rd round of talks with govt ends

The third round of negotiations between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) concluded in Parliament House on Thursday.The session was chaired by Speaker of the National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. During the meeting, the PTI presented a written draft of its demands.The government committee, which includes Irfan Siddiqui, Rana Sanaullah, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, and Farooq Sattar, is engaged in ongoing talks with PTI’s committee comprising Omar Ayub, Asad Qaiser, Ali Amin Gandapur, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, and Sahibzada Hamid Raza.According to sources, the PTI prepared a draft of its demands for negotiations with the government. The draft was created on opposition leader Omar Ayub’s letterhead and spanned three pages.According to the PTI’s list of demands, they urged the federal government to establish two inquiry commissions consisting of the chief justice or three Supreme Court judges. The commissions should be formed under the Commission of Inquiry Act 2017, with judges appointments agreed upon by both PTI and the government within seven days.It stated that the first commission should be tasked with investigating Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9, the entry of Rangers and police into Islamabad High Court, and the CCTV footage related to the May 9 events.Additionally, the PTI demanded an inquiry into the censorship imposed on media and the harassment of journalists, as well as the investigation of the nationwide internet shutdown and the identification of those responsible.The second commission was demanded to focus on events from Nov 24 to 27, particularly investigating the use of force against protesters in Islamabad, identifying those responsible for ordering the firing, and verifying the number of martyrs and injuries through hospital and medical facility CCTV recordings.The PTI also sought an inquiry into the difficulties faced in registering FIRs and the censorship of media coverage.Furthermore, the PTI called on the federal and Punjab governments, including those of Sindh and Balochistan, to issue orders for the release or suspension of sentences for all political prisoners.Sources revealed that the PTI’s negotiating committee members signed the document in the opposition leader’s chamber, with PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja also signing the demands document.