ISLAMABAD — Opposition negotiator and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser has identified the demand for access to jailed PTI founder Imran Khan as the primary cause of the deadlock in negotiations between the government and the opposition.
In a statement issued from Peshawar, Qaiser said the opposition had initially sought permission for its political leadership to meet Imran Khan and consult him on matters related to the negotiations.
Opposition Offered to Drop Other Demands
According to Qaiser, the opposition was prepared to withdraw all of its other demands if the government permitted political leaders to meet and consult the PTI founder.
He said the government maintained that the issue of access to Imran Khan could not be included in any agreement at this stage and was not under consideration, a position that led to the deadlock between the two sides.
Consultation Called Essential to Political Policy
Qaiser questioned how the opposition could formulate political policy without consulting its leader. He noted that political parties routinely consult their leadership on important decisions, citing PML-N leaders consulting Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while the PPP consults Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Asif Ali Zardari.
He argued that Imran Khan remained the PTI’s central political leader despite being in prison, and that the party wanted to seek his views before taking major decisions.
Terrorism Link Rejected
Qaiser also rejected attempts to link the opposition’s demand for access to Imran Khan with the issue of terrorism, saying the two matters should be treated separately.
He said meetings with Imran Khan and consultation with him had remained among the key issues discussed during the recent negotiations between the government and opposition.
Talks End Without Breakthrough
The negotiations ended without a breakthrough as the two sides failed to agree on several political and security-related issues. Both sides have since presented differing accounts of the reasons behind the deadlock.
