Following a much-awaited meeting with incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in a “controlled environment”, the former ruling party on Sunday announced that they were ready for third round of talks with the government to defuse the political tensions in the country.
Addressing a joint press conference alongside PTI senior leaders Omar Ayub Khan and Asad Qaiser, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) head Sahibzada Hamid Raza, who also serves as the spokesperson for the negotiation team, urged the government to make progress on their demands during the upcoming round of dialogue.
He called on the government to establish an “impartial judicial commission” headed by a senior Supreme Court judge to investigate the events of May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024.
The May 9 riots erupted nationwide following the arrest of the deposed prime minister in the £190 million settlement case, leading to the detention of hundreds of PTI workers and senior leaders for their alleged involvement in violent incidents and attacks on military installations.
During the unrest, protesters targeted civil and military sites, including Jinnah House and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. The military condemned May 9 as “Black Day” and announced plans to try those involved under the Army Act.
In November, Khan issued a “final call” for protests, demanding the restoration of PTI’s “stolen mandate,” the reversal of the 26th Amendment, and the release of political prisoners.
PTI claims that at least 13 of its workers were killed and 1,000 others arrested during the protests. However, the government has firmly denied the use of live ammunition against demonstrators.
