Islamabad, December 23,2024: Despite prior consultations, several key leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) did not participate in the negotiations between the government and opposition. Of PTI’s five-member negotiation team, only one member attended the meeting, with Salman Akram Raja, Ali Amin Gandapur, and Umar Ayub notably absent.
Sources reveal that party leadership urged Umar Ayub and Ali Amin Gandapur to join the negotiations, but both declined. Salman Akram Raja reportedly consulted Barrister Gohar before deciding against participation.
PTI leader Asad Qaiser was the sole representative from the party present at the talks. Sources also claimed that Ali Amin Gandapur opposes engaging in negotiations with the government.
On the opposition side, Hamid Raza and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas attended the meeting. Reports suggest tensions erupted within PTI leadership over the party’s approach to engaging with the opposition.
Barrister Gohar Khan, PTI chairman, clarified that the absence of certain members was due to scheduling conflicts. He stated that Ali Amin Gandapur was busy with a cabinet meeting, Umar Ayub was attending court hearings in Peshawar, Hamid Khan was on a visit to Bangladesh, and Salman Akram Raja had legal commitments in Lahore. He emphasized that no PTI member outright refused to participate in the negotiations.
The first round of talks between the government and opposition was held at Parliament House under the chairmanship of National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. Both sides agreed to continue the dialogue, with the next meeting scheduled for January 2, 2025.
This development marks the beginning of a formal negotiation process, though PTI’s internal divisions and absence of key leaders raise questions about the party’s unified stance on the dialogue.
