"Negotiations at a Standstill, No Progress Made," Irfan Siddiqui
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00:00Sir, Mr. Irfan, first of all, if we talk about the current status,
00:06would it be right to say that as we speak this dialogue is a victim of a deadlock?
00:16Thank you very much, Mr. Abadami.
00:19It may be difficult to say that it is a victim of a deadlock,
00:25but it is a kind of a deadlock,
00:28and we should have moved forward at a good pace after 23rd December,
00:37but we could not.
00:39You see, we have come to 6th or 7th December,
00:43but the matters have remained where they were on 23rd December.
00:48There has been no progress.
00:50The fundamental thing from which the work was to begin was a document,
00:55a charter of demands, which they agreed in the first meeting,
00:59which they agreed in the second meeting,
01:01which is present in the joint announcements of both the meetings,
01:06that has not come forward yet.
01:09The story has to start from there,
01:11that what are they saying?
01:14See, for example, to say that someone should be released.
01:17We have different opinions on the matter of release.
01:20They say that they are not saying to the government
01:23to release them from the executive order or to do something.
01:26We are saying, someone is saying that we are saying
01:29that the process of courts should be rectified,
01:32the process of prosecution should not be hindered,
01:35bail should be allowed.
01:37Others are not saying this.
01:39The third thing that has come to our attention,
01:41is that they should be released.
01:43There is no talk of any other right or left.
01:46The case is not in the court of Mr. Nawaz Sharif,
01:50it is in the courts.
01:52So, when they say to you that you should be released,
01:54what do they say about it?
01:56How exactly?
01:58See, when they will bring this to us in writing,
02:02then these questions will arise.
02:04Even though they were asked in the first meeting,
02:07that when you say to leave the government,
02:10you yourself have been in the government for four and a half years,
02:14and the people sitting in front of you,
02:17from Mr. Dar, from me, from Mr. Rana,
02:20all of them have been in jails for a little while,
02:23a little longer, but they have been there.
02:25And all of them have come out of some process.
02:28There have been bails, there have been court proceedings,
02:31there have been cases, there has been acquittal.
02:33No one has been released under any executive order.
02:37So, now if we release them,
02:40then guide us, guide us,
02:43guide us in some way,
02:45guide us in some way,
02:47guide us in some way.
02:49We expect that when they bring the demands in writing,
02:52then they will also tell us in some way,
02:55that these are the ways by which you can do this work.
02:58Because so far, their statements have not been in accordance.
03:03Some say that our aim is not to release the government.
03:07Others say that the government should be released,
03:09because the government has locked them up in the wrong way.
03:12So, as long as they do not have an opinion,
03:14they do not have an opinion,
03:16it is very difficult for us to form an opinion, Mr. Badami.
03:18Sir, I think you have already answered my next question.
03:21My next question was that one opinion came from there too.
03:24Mr. Qaisar said in a TV program that
03:26the meaning of which is that
03:28why are you so insistent on bringing it in writing?
03:32Whatever we have said in the committee,
03:34it is a number in the form of minutes.
03:36These are our demands.
03:37Why are you so insistent that the demand should be written?
03:40My answer is the same.
03:41You are saying that if one thing has not been done,
03:43then what do you think is the real demand?
03:45Am I right?
03:46No.
03:47The first thing is that this is not a matter of our insistence.
03:52This is a matter of their statement.
03:54They have signed this statement twice and given it to us.
03:58That we are bringing in writing.
04:00We are bringing in writing.
04:01They went out and said to the media
04:03that we are bringing in writing next time.
04:05Therefore, they should pay attention to their statement.
04:08They should leave our insistence.
04:10We did not have any insistence from them.
04:12They have brought in their things twice with pleasure.
04:15Therefore, they should pay attention to their statement.
04:19If you see,
04:20the press release that was issued in the first agreement,
04:23they say the same thing in that too.
04:25They say the same thing in the second too.
04:27It happened through agreement.
04:28There is a debate on each word.
04:29There is a debate on sentences.
04:30They agree, so we write.
04:32So when all this happened,
04:34at that time, Asad Qaisar Sahib was present in both the meetings.
04:37He did not even say a sentence that
04:39what kind of writing are you talking about?
04:41Whatever we have said is the same writing.
04:43This stance that they are giving after two meetings,
04:46they did not give it during the two meetings.
04:48And these are the things that mislead the trust.
04:52And these are the things that make the negotiations fast.
04:56And these are the things that
04:58if we talk tomorrow, then we will talk.
05:00I don't know whether they stay on it or not.
05:03And if this is the same opinion from our side,
05:05then they will doubt us.
05:07I don't know whether the government will stay or not.
05:09Sir, if you have no objection to all this,
05:11then at least Mr. Irfan, are you surprised
05:13that why is it so late?
05:14It should have been postponed.
05:16Even if it is not postponed,
05:18but the matters should have progressed
05:20at a natural pace, right?
05:22After 23rd, on 2nd January,
05:24when our meeting took place,
05:26after 2nd January, Atul should not have come.
05:29Now see, we are not meeting.
05:32Neither are we meeting Nawaz Sharif daily,
05:34nor are we meeting the Prime Minister daily,
05:36nor are we meeting the People's Party daily,
05:38nor are we meeting the MQM daily,
05:40nor are we meeting the BAP daily,
05:42we are not meeting anyone.
05:44He says that we are,
05:46he used two more words,
05:48that we are communicators and facilitators.
05:52That is, his committee is only working
05:54on communication and facilitation.
05:56All the decisions have to be made by Mr. Khan.
05:58And if there are only two or three demands
06:00that he is saying,
06:02then tell Mr. Khan to dictate to us.
06:05What should we write and give there?
06:07The matter will end.
06:09Now what is the point of meeting him every day?
06:12And when he will meet every day,
06:14then there are administrative matters,
06:16the Ministry of Internal Affairs is requested,
06:18the Ministry of Internal Affairs processes,
06:20it takes time,
06:22then the time is fixed,
06:24there are security issues,
06:26the postponement in that,
06:28that is, the postponement in the meeting
06:30goes to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
06:32As of now, the third meeting,
06:34our third session,
06:36we do not know its date.
06:38And that date was also fixed
06:40that the PTI has to give
06:42when he meets Mr. Khan.