Govt's negotiating team to have 'complete authority' during talks with opposition

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday directed his negotiating team to have ‘complete authority’ during talks with opposition’s Rahbar Committee.

The government’s team, formed to negotiate with the opposition with regards to Azadi March, called on Prime Minister Khan today.

The head of the negotiating team, Defense Minister Pervaiz Khattak, briefed PM Khan on the development related to talks with the opposition’s Rahbar Committee.

The premier told the government’s negotiating team to carry out talks with the opposition while having a complete authority, sources said.

The meeting decided that all demands of opposition’s committee except the one related to the resignation of PM Khan could be fulfilled by the government. “If the opposition wants to have serious negotiations, then a positive response is expected from them,” said the premier as quoted by sources.

Following the meeting, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi affirmed that efforts were underway to find a way out, “we should not be hopeless,” he said in a media talk.

Elahi stressed that matters should be immediately resolved between the opposition and government.

The government’s negotiation team and opposition’s Rahbar Committee will resume talks today to find an amicable solution to the imbroglio involving the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl’s (JUI-F) Azadi March in the federal capital.

A day earlier, the government committee led by Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak met the opposition’s Rahbar Committee headed by Akram Khan Durrani of JUI-F in Islamabad and both sides agreed to restart the stalled talks.

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The defense minister said the opposition was adhering to the agreement it had previously signed with the government.

Akram Durrani said they had presented demands of the opposition to the government and detailed discussions were held in this context.

Today, another meeting will be held at 3:00 pm between the respective teams of government and opposition.