Islamabad, January 26, 2025: Amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding negotiations between the government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a recent Gallup Pakistan survey has revealed that one-third of Pakistanis remain optimistic about the dialogue process initiated to ease heightened political tensions.
The survey, conducted with over 400 participants, found that 44% of respondents supported the negotiations, while 16% opposed them. Meanwhile, 39% refrained from expressing an opinion on the matter.
This survey comes as the PTI declined to attend the fourth round of talks, scheduled for January 28 at 11:45 a.m., citing directives from the party’s incarcerated founder, Imran Khan. The dialogue process, which began in late December, has seen three sessions so far, with PTI submitting a written charter of demands. However, progress on key issues remains limited.
Imran Khan had previously announced the “calling off” of negotiations on Thursday, citing the government’s failure to form a judicial commission to investigate the May 9 riots and the November 2024 Islamabad protests. However, PTI later clarified that the talks were not officially canceled but merely put on hold, according to party Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan.
The PTI’s inconsistent approach has drawn sharp criticism from the government. Senator Irfan Siddique, spokesperson for the government’s negotiation committee, accused the PTI of undermining the dialogue process. Meanwhile, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah expressed optimism, suggesting that the coalition government’s responses to PTI’s demands might persuade the party to rejoin the talks.
As the future of the negotiations remains uncertain, the Gallup survey explored public sentiment on their potential success. While 33% of respondents expressed hope for a positive outcome, 19% predicted failure, and 45% said they were unsure.
The survey also highlighted gender differences in perceptions. Men were more optimistic, with 41% hopeful about the negotiations compared to 25% of women. Conversely, opposition to the talks was slightly higher among men (21%) than women (16%). A notable 55% of women expressed doubts about the outcome, compared to 35% of men.
With the next round of talks approaching, both sides face mounting pressure to find common ground and address the political impasse threatening the country’s stability.
