Following a much-anticipated meeting with incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in a “controlled environment”, the former ruling party announced on Sunday that it was ready to begin a third round of talks with the government to defuse political tensions. tensions in the country.
Addressing a joint press conference alongside senior PTI leaders Omar Ayub Khan and Asad Qaiser, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza, who is also the spokesperson of the negotiating team , urged the government to make progress on its demands during the upcoming elections. 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 across the country following the arrest of the ousted prime minister in a £190 million settlement, 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 civilian and military sites, including Jinnah House and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. The army declared May 9 “Black Day” and announced its intention to try those involved under the Army Act.
In November, Khan issued a “final call” to protest, demanding the restoration of the PTI’s “stolen mandate”, the annulment of the 26th Amendment and the release of political prisoners.
The PTI says at least 13 of its employees were killed and 1,000 others arrested during the protests. However, the government has strongly denied the use of live ammunition against demonstrators.
This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.