The PTI negotiation committee has suggested the National Assembly speaker hold the third round of negotiations with the government committee tomorrow (Sunday) or the day after it.

“The opposition’s negotiation committee is ready for the third meeting, scheduled for either Sunday, January 12 or Monday, January 13,” Sahibzada Hamid Raza, the PTI negotiation committee spokesperson, said in a statement on Saturday.

His statement came after National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq said that neither side had contacted him for a meeting.

Since former prime minister Imran 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 December 23, marking the beginning of much-anticipated negotiations aimed at reducing political tensions in the country. It ended with the decision that Khan’s party would present its demands to the committee, which it would review and present to the prime minister.

The PTI has set a January 31 deadline to finalise the negotiations. In the second meeting, the PTI could not present the ‘Charter of Demands’ as it wanted to consult Khan before presenting a written document.

Raza claimed that Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub attempted to contact the NA speaker by phone earlier in the day, but was “unsuccessful.” He mentioned that the NA speaker had been informed via message.

In the second meeting of the negotiation committees, he reiterated that assurances were given regarding a meeting with the PTI founder.

Raza criticised the government committee for failing to arrange a meeting with the PTI founder, stating that it was a “complete failure.” He urged the NA speaker to inform the nation that the government has “failed to fulfil its commitments.”

Raza, the Sunni Ittehad Council head, stated that the PTI founder was not a “convicted prisoner” but held the status of an under-trial superior-class prisoner. According to the law, he said Khan has the right to meet with others in a free environment as an under-trial inmate.

He added that security arrangements can allow for such meetings to occur in an open setting, in accordance with legal provisions.

“If a judicial commission is not established in the third meeting, the negotiation process will be suspended,” he said and confirmed that the PTI negotiation committee would submit its demands in written form during the upcoming meeting.

No calls from government or opposition to convene negotiation talks: Sadiq

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said on Saturday that neither the government nor the opposition has contacted him to convene a meeting of the negotiation committees.

“There has been no communication from either side to schedule a meeting, but I am ready to convene a session with one- or two-day notice whenever both parties agree,” he said in a statement.

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While addressing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf negotiation committee’s demand to meet the party’s founder, the NA speaker said: “It is the government’s responsibility to facilitate such a meeting. This matter does not fall under my jurisdiction.”

He added that the government and its allies should decide whether the meeting is “feasible or not.”

In a telephonic conversation with PTI leader Asad Qaiser on January 4, Sadiq said that he informed him that the demand for a meeting with the PTI founder had been conveyed to the government.

He advised PTI leaders to directly approach Adviser to the PM on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah or other senior representatives of the government.