ISLAMABAD: Negotiations between the government and opposition moved forward on Saturday, with both sides working on a draft agreement as efforts continued to ease political tensions ahead of PTI’s planned march on the federal capital.
Sources familiar with the talks said negotiators had narrowed some of their differences during the second round of discussions. Any agreement, however, would require consultations with the respective party leaderships before being finalised. National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq hosted the negotiations at his chamber in Parliament House, bringing together representatives of the federal government, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the PTI-led opposition.
The planned October 4 march remained one of the central issues in the negotiations. The government side has sought cancellation of the protest, while the opposition has linked its next steps to progress on its demands. Among the opposition’s key concerns is the health of jailed PTI founder Imran Khan. PTI representatives have sought access to appropriate medical treatment for Khan and have called for him to be shifted to a hospital.
The PPP has backed efforts to resolve the political standoff through negotiations and has urged PTI to reconsider its planned march while the dialogue process remains underway. Both sides also discussed ways to maintain communication and prevent public statements from undermining the negotiations.
The latest meeting followed the first round of talks held on Friday, when representatives exchanged their positions but did not reach an agreement on the major outstanding issues. The two sides nevertheless agreed to continue negotiations, keeping the dialogue process alive ahead of Sunday’s planned march.
