Islamabad: The government also ended the negotiation process after PTI pulled out of the negotiation process and the Prime Minister rejected the offer of re-negotiation.
According to Express News, the spokesperson of the government committee for negotiations between the government and PTI and PML-N leader Senator Irfan Siddiqui confirmed this.
In an exclusive interview with the prominent Saudi Arabian newspaper “Urdu News”, Senator Irfan Siddiqui said that the negotiations with PTI have ended. The PTI members returned with the same speed with which they came for negotiations. Their only and real demand was the immediate release of Imran Khan and other leaders, the only way to do this is to ask the Prime Minister to recommend the President to pardon their sentences.
He said, “There is no delay or breakdown in the negotiations at this time. They have ended. Despite the Prime Minister’s offer, the answers that have come from him are before you. Today is January 31. The deadline given by him has also come. He has also dissolved his committee, so now they are over.”
Irfan Siddiqui said that there were many demands in the PTI’s charter of demands on the basis of which trust could be built. We had considered many of them. We did not put a ‘red cross’ on the demand for the formation of a judicial commission. Our lawyers advised that when the matters are in the courts, a judicial commission cannot be formed on it.
He said that despite this, instead of giving a blunt answer, we thought that we would answer that this is the opinion of our lawyers. You should call your lawyers to give your opinion. Convince us and we will find a way out together.
Irfan Siddiqui said that we have also worked on many other things regarding trust building.
What steps were taken? In response to this question, he said that ‘they are still secret and if they were to come forward, they had to reach everyone through PTI. The document we had prepared was not even the final word, but it was called a working paper which could be edited and if they had come and sat down, there would have been many satisfying things in it for them.
He said that basically PTI’s DNA and Khmer do not include negotiations, discussions and transactions, they are made for roads, intersections, sticks, ghulails, May 9, November 26 and violence.
Whenever they held negotiations, they left like that. Till the morning of January 28, we were working. PTI said six days ago that Imran Khan has said that there will be no negotiations now.
Senator Irfan Siddiqui said that in the committee, PTI demanded the release of Imran Khan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Omar Cheema, Ijaz Chaudhry, Yasmin Rashid and Mahmood Rashid, they did not write these names but said that you should facilitate their release. Apart from this, they also asked for the release of other prisoners. This was their only demand. Judicial Commission and other things were meaningless and secondary.
He said that the only solution is for PTI to come and ask the Prime Minister to recommend to the President that their sentences be commuted. Then Shahbaz Sharif can tell President Zardari that, apart from this, there is no other way to release these people.
He said that PTI is a unique wonder in the history of Pakistan. This is a practical picture of the slogan ‘No Khan, No Pakistan’ which is sad.
On the question regarding the PECA Act, Irfan Siddiqui said that the first thing about it is that the party has a decision to be with or the person can leave it. Despite this, I expressed my opinion in the meeting called by the Law Minister. Journalists also got the opportunity to speak in the Standing Committee on Interior on my suggestion and recommendation.
He said that he personally believes that there should have been a wider consultation, opinions should have been taken and the reservations of journalists should be removed. I personally agree with the spirit of this law because a distinction should be made between journalism and those who spread fake news. People who do real journalism will not come under the ambit of this law, but those who make dirty videos of people using modern technology will come under the ambit of this law.
Senator Irfan Siddiqui said that I have spoken to the Prime Minister that the law should be amended by listening to the views of journalists and removing their reservations. We are working on it and I will work on it beyond my responsibility in my personal capacity.
