PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui said on Saturday that the government committee formed to negotiate with the PTI had become “practically non-functional”, just a day after another offer was extended to the opposition party for talks.

The PTI unilaterally withdrew from talks and rejected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent offer to reconsider their decision. The breakdown in negotiations followed weeks of attempted dialogue between the government and opposition that began in late December 2024. The talks stalled over PTI’s key demands, including the formation of two separate judicial commissions to investigate the May 9, 2023, riots and November 26, 2024, protest, as well as the release of detained PTI leaders and workers.

The Shehbaz government had once again extended a dialogue offer to the PTI as National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq insisted the talks option was never dropped. Briefly talking to the media at the Punjab Assembly on Friday, Sadiq said the government was always open to talks with the PTI and that’s why he had not dissolved the committee formed for the purpose.

However, in a post on X today, committee chairperson Siddiqui said: “Whether formally dissolved or not, the government negotiation committee has practically become non-functional and ineffective.”

He said that PTI was once again reverting to “its home ground of violent protests”.

The committee’s “inactive” status comes despite PM Shehbaz not yet issuing formal orders for its dissolution. On February 2, a source in the government told Dawn that the prime minister was advised to dissolve the committee.

The government team, which included representatives from the ruling coalition’s parties, had previously expressed willingness to continue dialogue if PTI reconsidered its position.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Sadiq met on Feb 2 to discuss the failed dialogue process, expressing disappointment over PTI’s stance despite what they characterised as the government’s positive efforts to facilitate negotiations.

PTI leadership, including former premier Imran Khan, has criticised the government’s response to their demands. Imran described the lack of action on the requested commissions as a “sign of deceit” while PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan emphasised that the party was not interested in talks for “hi hello or photo sessions”.

Senator Siddiqui concluded his statement by indicating that if PTI “ever feels the need for negotiations again, we then may review our options”.