ISLAMABAD: PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui, who is also the spokesperson for the government’s negotiation committee, said the dialogue committee will not dissolve on January 31 — the PTI’s deadline for the acceptance of demands — as he underscored the importance of achieving meaningful outcomes over rigidly adhering to deadlines.

“A positive outcome is our priority, not merely meeting a deadline,” he said in interviews with various media outlets on Tuesday.

Senator Siddiqui explained that the seven political parties represented in the government’s negotiation committee needed time to consult their respective leadership before formulating a unified response to PTI’s demands.

He hoped that the PTI would present its demands in the next meeting on Jan 16, after which the government committee would respond accordingly.

Senator Siddiqui also described the demands of the PTI as “complex and of significant gravity”.

He clarified that while the government committee had not made any demands so far, it might propose certain suggestions if the dialogue process moved forward smoothly.

He also addressed concerns about civil disobedience and social media campaigns, clarifying that the government committee had not asked the PTI to call off such activities or cease negative social media rhetoric.

Mr Siddiqui cautioned that tweets and statements detrimental to the dialogue process should be avoided.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2025