A high-level committee made up of top coalition government members was established by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday to engage in talks with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the primary opposition party that has threatened to use civil disobedience against the current administration.
The members of the committee are Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Abdul Aleem Khan, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Naveed Qamar, Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, Rana Sanaullah, and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.
PTI founder Imran Khan had already established a committee, consisting of PTI leaders, to interact with the government weeks prior, indicating the party’s recognition that the confrontational approach could not be sustained indefinitely.
Ayaz Sadiq, the speaker of the National Assembly, suggested that the prime minister create the negotiating body.