Islamabad: Speaker of the National Assembly, Ayaz Sadiq, has responded to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) statements, calling them unfortunate, and clarified that arranging a meeting with Imran Khan is neither his mandate nor his responsibility.
Speaking to Dawn News, the senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stated that he is open to considering a proposal to exit the negotiation process with PTI. He emphasized that his role is to facilitate dialogue between the government and the opposition, and arranging a meeting with the founder of PTI, Imran Khan, does not fall under his responsibilities.
Sadiq expressed regret over the accusations made by PTI leaders, labeling them unjust, and reiterated that his door is always open for any Member of Parliament. “I have never denied meeting any Member of the National Assembly,” he said.
As Speaker, he continued, he has always strived to uphold the supremacy of Parliament and democratic traditions while performing his role as a facilitator.
It is worth noting that in December last year, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar had requested Speaker Sadiq to play a role in facilitating negotiations. In response, Sadiq had asked the Prime Minister to form a government negotiating team.
Subsequently, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in line with Sadiq’s suggestion, constituted a negotiation committee from the ruling coalition, which included Ishaq Dar, Rana Sanaullah, Irfan Siddiqui, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Naveed Qamar, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Aleem Khan, Chaudhry Salik, and Sardar Khalid Magsi.
Two rounds of talks have been held between the government and PTI negotiation teams, during which the government committee has requested PTI to submit their demands in writing. However, PTI has yet to comply with this request.
Concerns over the negotiations persist, with both sides recently making conflicting statements about the ongoing talks.
