ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PIT) on Thursday finally presented its demands in writing, seeking probes into the May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024 events, as well as the release of “political prisoners”.
PTI’s ‘Charter of Demands’, available with Geo News, also mentions that if the government fails to constitute two separate commissions on the violent events, the party will not continue the negotiations.
The third meeting between the Imran Khan-founded PTI and the government took place at the Parliament House under National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq’s leadership, where the demands were presented.
NA Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, former NA speaker Asad Qaiser, party’s Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Chairman Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza represented the PTI.
Whereas, the government’s team include Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, PM’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Naveed Qamar, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) lawmaker Farooq Sattar and Balochistan Awami Party lawmaker Khalid Magsi.
In the three-page document, the PTI mentioned that the party and its allies have travelled through “blood and gore” and their leader Khan and thousands of our supporters have faced “unjustified imprisonment”.
The party’s written demands bear the signature of all six members of the PTI’s negotiation committee including CM Gandapur, ex-speaker Qaiser, Secretary-General Raja, MWM head Allama Abbas, and SIC’s Raza represented the PTI.
The document mentioned that the party entered into negotiations with the “government installed in Islamabad” in order to take the fight for the people’s rights onwards.
“The Charter of Demands is presented as a prerequisite to wider negotiations with respect to the restoration of the Constitution, the rule of law and respect for the people’s mandate, free and fair elections.”
In the previous two rounds, with the first taking place on December 27, 2024 followed by a second session on January 2, 2025, the party did not present its demands as they awaited Khan’s nod.
However, after much ado, the PTI negotiators were allowed to meet the PTI founder — behind bars at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail — who gave them comprehensive instructions, based on which their demands were finalised.
Ahead of the meeting, spokesperson for the government committee, Irfan Siddiqui, said that all seven coalition partners will submit PTI’s demands to their party leaders.
What are PTI’s demands?
The party has demanded that the government form two commissions —which will comprise the Chief Justice of Pakistan or three serving judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, mutually nominated by the PTI and the government within seven days.
“The conduct of the proceedings of the two Commissions must be open to the general public as well as the media,” the party mentioned in the document.
The PTI has called upon the federal government, as well as the governments of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan to support, in accordance with the law, the grant of bail or orders suspending the conviction and sentence of all political prisoners.
The party said that it would identify the political prisoners, who were arrested following the events of May 9 and November 24 to 24 or any other political event elsewhere.
It also sought support for those who have been convicted and whose appeals or revisions are presently pending before a court of law.
The PTI has overall outlined a total of 22 key before before the government, specifically putting forward five demands concerning the formation of two inquiry commissions.
The party presented nine demands in connection with the first inquiry commission, and seven demands related to the second commission.
Among the demands are the release of political activists arrested nationwide and the suspension of their sentences.
First commission
As per the document, the first commission will be tasked to conduct an in-depth inquiry into the legality of the events that led to the arrest of Khan on May 9, 2023.
The commission will also investigate the legality of the manner of the arrest and those responsible for the break-in into the premises of the Islamabad High Court — from where Khan was arrested — by the Rangers and the police.
The events across the country after the arrest of Khan, in particular the circumstances in which groups of individuals were able to reach various high-security locations at which damage to property is said to have been caused, should also be investigated, the PTI said.
CCTV recordings at each location where damage is said to have been caused by protesters should be probed and if CCTV footage is not available, the causes of this lack of availability should be determined.
The manner in which those arrested in connection with the events of May 9 were apprehended and then kept in custody as well as the circumstances of their release should be inquired, the document said.
