Pakistan’s political deadlock deepens as PTI withdraws from negotiations

Islamabad, Pakistan – Imran Khan’s party has made the decision to leave talks with the government in an effort to end the political unrest that have characterized the nation for the past three years. This raises the possibility of fresh street fights between the opposition party and law enforcement.

After three rounds of talks, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had placed the onus on the government to consider its charter of demands, which it presented during the last dialogue on January 16. However, PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan announced a week later on Thursday that the group would withdraw from the talks in accordance with Khan’s orders, who has been held in jail since August 2023.

Ali Khan, the former prime minister’s representative, told reporters outside the former Pakistani prime minister’s Adiala Jail that the government had not agreed to form judicial commissions to investigate the violent events of two pivotal days in recent Pakistan’s history.

“The government made announcements but has yet to follow through, which is why Imran Khan decided to end the negotiations”, Ali Khan told the media on Thursday.

However, government officials claim that the commission’s request for judicial commissions has not yet been decided. For its part, the government claimed to have formed a subcommittee and that it was working with coalition partners on the negotiating team.

Senator Irfan Siddiqui, a member of the government committee, questioned the PTI’s sudden decision to pull out of the talks when consultations were still ongoing.

“When did we say that we would not form a judicial commission? We took these demands very seriously”, Siddiqui said on Thursday evening. “We held talks among ourselves. What the PTI said about pulling out is very regrettable. He continued, “I don’t understand what transpired in these seven days.”

“Continued struggle”

The government and PTI have been engaged in discussions since December of last year, with the goal of easing the political unrest that has gripped the nation since April 2022, when Khan’s PTI government was toppled by a parliamentary vote of no confidence.

The PTI had organized three rounds, including the release of “political prisoners,” and the formation of two judicial commissions.

In Imran Khan’s absence, Ali Khan, who serves as PTI’s chairman, promised to continue the protests and network with other political parties nationwide.

He declared, “We will continue our struggle in accordance with the Constitution and the law.” We will work with all political parties to start a movement.

The two judicial commissions PTI demanded were to look into the May 9 and November 26 events of 2024 and 2024.

Former prime minister Khan was briefly detained in a corruption case in May 2023, and he was eventually found guilty last Friday.

During his brief detention, PTI supporters launched violent protests nationwide, targeting public buildings and military offices and installations, including the army headquarters in Rawalpindi.

In the aftermath, thousands of PTI workers and leaders were arrested, and more than 100 were tried in secretive military courts, with at least 80 recently sentenced to three to 10 years in prison. Imran Khan also faces charges of inciting mutiny and “terrorism” related to those events.

In November 2024, PTI launched a march to Islamabad, calling it the “final call” for Imran Khan’s release. However, law enforcement dispersed the protesters, with PTI claiming 12 workers were killed by security forces in the clashes, a figure the government denies.

“Bolt out of nowhere”

At a time when the country is confronting growing security challenges from armed groups, the two sides’ opening of talks had been seen as a positive step.

Aqeel Malik, the government’s legal affairs spokesperson, expressed surprise at the PTI’s decision, calling it a “bolt out of nowhere”.

According to Malik, “We had agreed on seven working days, and our consultations were going on with particular attention to the demands PTI had put forth, as well as our discussions with coalition partners and requests for legal counsel.”

He emphasized the necessity of avoiding hurried decisions and that there was no reason for the government to reject PTI’s demands. “There was no indication we had decided to form – or not form – a commission. But PTI decided to walk out abruptly on its own”, he added.

Meanwhile, PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari called the talks a “sham”, accusing the government of using them to buy time.

Because our top priority was to form commissions, we pulled the trigger on the discussions. But if the government was not going to do that, what is the point of continuing”? Bukhari told Al Jazeera.

The PTI leader from the UK claimed that the reluctance of the government would have been the simplest step and that its lackluster efforts would have been the best course of action.

“They were never serious about the talks to begin with”, he said.

“Opportunity spurned”

Analysts have called the PTI’s sudden exit from the talks “unusual”. Asma Shirazi, a political commentator, said by submitting their charter of demands, PTI appeared willing to de-escalate tensions, making their walkout particularly disappointing.

She claimed that the PTI could have strengthened its position by making the government use all available means of regaining control over the outcome of the talks. “It is quite incomprehensible that, despite making headway, they decided to abandon them,” she said.

“They should have waited for the deadline. PTI would have had the moral support of the government if it had failed, according to Shirazi.

The two parties’ approaches diverged, according to political analyst Talat Hussain.

“For the government, it was a gradual process. But PTI expected breakthroughs in just a few rounds”, he told Al Jazeera.

Similar to Shirazi, Hussain claimed that the PTI spurned the government, but that this was an opportunity.

They “could have put the ball in their court” and waited for their response to the demands made. After the subsequent rounds, the government could have said that the government isn’t serious and that we are leaving. But they did not show the patience”, he said

More agitation to come?

PTI has staged numerous protest marches that have left the country frequently with road closures and blackouts on the internet since it was removed from power three years ago.

Bukhari, the party’s leader, said the party might take to the streets once more. “Our supporters are willing to come out for Khan, even at great personal risk”, he said, adding that Pakistan’s current “suffocating environment” requires a resolution.

However, Malik, the government’s spokesperson, said protests must remain peaceful.

“If they violate the Constitution through anarchist politics or violence, the government is well-equipped to respond”, he said.

Shirazi, the Islamabad-based analyst, said she expected PTI to return to agitations.

“PTI attempted to blackmail the government by putting Islamabad under siege in November last. Does the PTI’s scheduled Champions Trophy victory now mean that they will exploit it as a chance to create chaos? she wondered.

The first time Pakistan has hosted a major sporting event like the Cricket World Cup together with India and Sri Lanka in February, the top eight cricketing nations are expected to attend.

The PTI had earlier called for protests in Islamabad in October, which happened as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit was taking place there. However, a day before the event, the PTI decided to withdraw their call.

Hussain, though, was not entirely sure of the PTI achieving its objective by resuming agitation on the streets.

Source: Aljazeera