The second round of negotiations between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the government is set to take place on January 2 at the Parliament House in Islamabad. Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party has decided to present two key demands to the ruling coalition following consultations.

Since Khan’s imprisonment last year on multiple charges, the relationship between the PTI and both the government and military establishment has soured significantly. The deterioration has been marked by protests that often turned violent amid government crackdowns.

In light of the unrest, Khan formed a five-member committee to engage in talks with “anyone,” indicating a change in the PTI’s parliamentary approach. In response, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assembled a committee composed of ruling coalition members.

The first meeting between the government and PTI committees took place on Monday, marking the beginning of much-anticipated negotiations aimed at reducing political tensions in the country.

The PTI has set a January 31 deadline to finalise the negotiations. Earlier, Sanaullah indicated that the government would be willing to “accommodate such a request.”

Significant progress has been made regarding the negotiations, sources said as PTI leaders have discussed demands for the formation of a judicial commission and the release of prisoners.

They added that the PTI would formally present the above mentioned demands in writing to the government team. The party would seek the establishment of a judicial commission to investigate the events of May 9 and November 26.

It is expected that PTI would be at its full strength, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.

National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq would chair the talks between the two sides, according to a notification issued by the National Assembly Secretariat. The meeting is scheduled for January 2 at 11:30 am. Like the last time, it would be an in-camera meeting.

‘Imran Khan will take back civil disobedience call if two demands are met’

Later, PTI leader Shaukat Yousafzai confirmed the demands to Aaj News. “Yes, the release of political prisoners and judicial commission on May 9 and November 26 is on top [of the list],” he said while appearing on Spotlight with Munizae Jahangir.

“Imran Khan will take back civil disobedience call if these two demands are met,” Yousafzai said and called for ending the trust deficit to move forward.

When asked if Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, and Asif Ali Zardari could sit together for issues, he said that anything can happen if the negotiating committee ends the trust deficit as they are politicians.

Asif urges government to be ‘cautious’

Earlier in the day, former NA speaker Asad Qaiser stated that consultations with the negotiating team were under way, along with mutual meetings. He confirmed that all members of PTI’s negotiating committee would participate in the second round of talks.

He added that the party’s demands are “clear”, including the release of the PTI founder and the establishment of a commission. “We will make every effort to cooperate in moving the country forward,” he said.

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On the other hand, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned that his party must be “cautious” during the talks.

It merits here mentioning that an agreement was reached to continue negotiations during the first meeting. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed hope for “positive progress” in the talks for the broader interest of the country.

The government committee includes Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, Rana Sanaullah, Naveed Qamar, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, and Farooq Sattar. PM Shehbaz also included Ijazul Haq and Khalid Magsi in the committee formed for negotiations with PTI.