PTI march hangs in balance as govt-opposition talks resume today

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Second round of negotiations to be held today, both sides seek way forward

The second round of government-opposition talks will be held today at 3pm instead of the earlier scheduled 2pm, with the PTI’s negotiating team given full decision-making authority by the party’s political and core committees.

According to PTI sources, however, any decision reached by the negotiating team will remain conditional on arranging a meeting with the party’s founding leader, making the issue a key point in today’s discussions.

The second round of negotiations will take place at 3pm in the office of the National Assembly speaker, after the timing was changed from 2pm.

Six-member committees representing the government and opposition will meet again to discuss their differences and seek a resolution to the issues under discussion.

The first round of talks between the two sides ended without a concrete result yesterday. Despite the lack of an agreement, both committees agreed to continue the dialogue and return to the negotiating table today.

PTI’s political and core committees have authorised the party’s negotiating team to take decisions during the talks, according to sources. However, the authority comes with a key condition: all decisions will remain contingent upon arranging a meeting with the PTI’s founding leader.

The issue of access to the party founder is therefore expected to remain central to the opposition’s position as the second round of negotiations gets underway.

The opposition negotiating committee also held a late-night meeting with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi in Peshawar. According to sources, committee members briefed the chief minister on the positions taken by both the government and opposition during the negotiations.

Also Read: Heated exchange between govt, opposition as talks ends inconclusively

The discussions covered several key issues, including a meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan, health-related matters, legal cases and the proposed long march.

The committee and the chief minister also agreed that he would be kept informed about progress in the negotiations.

The question of whether the PTI’s long march will be postponed remains closely linked to the outcome of the government-opposition talks.

With the opposition committee empowered to make decisions but its position tied to a meeting with the party founder, today’s negotiations could determine whether the two sides can move closer to an understanding.

For now, both six-member committees are set to sit together again at the Speaker’s office at 3pm, following yesterday’s inconclusive meeting and their agreement to keep the dialogue going.

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