The federal government's spokesperson for the negotiation committee, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, hit out at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for attempting to play both sides amid ongoing negotiations with the government and the military leadership, stating that it was futile to pursue talks through multiple channels simultaneously.
The PML-N senator asserted that "two to three doors" cannot be opened at the same time, warning that the PTI's attempt to engage the military while discussions with the government were already underway would lead nowhere.
The development comes as the PTI and the government are in talks to ease the political tensions in the country. After two rounds of meetings, the third round took place on Thursday, during which PTI presented its written demands to the government.
On the same day, a meeting between Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir and PTI leaders Ali Amin Gandapur and Barrister Gohar Ali Khan came under fire, with both sides offering conflicting accounts of the meeting. Initially, the interim PTI chairman had denied the meeting, but on Thursday, he confirmed that he had met with the army chief and described it as a "positive development".
Security sources, however, dismissed any political context, claiming that reports of the meeting had been exaggerated. Reports said the meeting took place during the army chief's recent visit to Peshawar, where he also met with other political figures from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Imran Khan, former prime minister and PTI founder, who is currently in Adiala Jail, also confirmed the meeting, saying that if talks had begun, it was a step in the right direction.
"There is no point in peeking through small doors and windows now. If the door they had been striving to open for a year is now open, then they should abandon these minor efforts," Senator Siddiqui said on Saturday, referring to the meeting between PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and General Asim Munir.
Siddiqui added that he was aware of the meeting's details and the discussions held. According to him, Gohar had expressed optimism about the direct dialogue initiated at the highest military level, describing it as "a positive development".
He further clarified, "Barrister Gohar reportedly stated that both backdoor and front-door processes for negotiations will continue. However, negotiations cannot be conducted simultaneously through multiple channels."
The senator also noted that both PTI founder Imran Khan and party leader Aleema Khan had welcomed the party chairman's meeting with the army chief.
Also, Prime Minister's Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah emphasised on Saturday the importance of dialogue in democracy, saying it is the only way to resolve political issues and move forward.
Talking to a private news channel, he stated that the PTI had submitted written demands that will be responded to in writing after consulting with our allies, he said.
During the meeting, PTI's negotiation team was asked to continue the talks once they received the government's response, however, Sanaullah said that they turned down the suggestion by saying that further discussions would not be possible without the approval of the former chairman of PTI.
"The PTI leadership insists that negotiations can only move forward if there is a guarantee that their demands will be met," he explained.
Criticising the PTI's demands, Sanaullah said they were self-serving, while the country needs dialogue to achieve a broader consensus among political forces. "The focus should be on ensuring incidents like May 9 never happen again, as this will help the country move forward," he added.
He also stressed that such an outcome would be a win-win for all, benefiting both the political parties and the nation.
Meanwhile, PTI ally and president of the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan, Mahmood Achakzai, opposed the ongoing talks with the government.
In an interview on a private news channel, Achakzai stated that no common citizen considered the government legitimate and questioned how talks could be held with an "illegitimate entity."
"If any talks are held with an illegitimate, illegal and unelected government, then they will be on how to make it legitimate," he added.
He said that negotiations were always held for a purpose, and questioned whether there was any purpose to the current talks.
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