Azadi March: Deadlock between govt, opposition persists after new round of talks

Azadi March: Deadlock between govt, opposition persists after new round of talks

Islamabad (Web Desk): The deadlock between the government and the opposition persisted on Tuesday as both sides failed to reach a breakthrough.

Addressing a joint press conference with the members of oppositions Rahbar Committee in Islamabad, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak who is leading the government negotiating team, said that talks between the government and the opposition were still going on.

"They have their own stance, we have ours," he said. "We are trying to arrive at the middle ground," he added. He hoped that the deadlock between the two sides would end soon.

Speaking on the occasion, Opposition’s Rahbar Committee Convener Akram Durrani said that the members of the committee, in meeting with the government committee, told them about oppositions’ demands for the premier's resignation and fresh elections.  "We are holding on to our demands," Durrani said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was ready to accept oppositions all ‘valid’ demands except his resignatuion demanded by Jamaat-e-Ulema-Islami Fazl (JUI-F).

According to the sources, the prime minister gave go ahead to the government negotiating team to accept the demands of the Azadi March protesters that were in accordance with the Constitution.

The team headed by Defence Minister Pervez Khattak called on PM Imran Khan and apprised him of last night’s meeting with the opposition’s Rahbar Committee, headed by JUI-F’s Akram Khan Durrani.

Meanwhile, PM Imran Khan also expressed gratitude for Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) leaders Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain who met Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday to persuade him to call off Azadi March.

Thousands of protesters continue to protest in Islamabad demanding resignation of Prime Minister.

The anti-government protest rally led by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman started its journey from Sindh on Oct 28 and reached the federal capital on October 31.