The first meeting between committees representing the government and the opposition PTI has begun today (Monday), kicking off long-anticipated talks between the rival parties to defuse prevailing political tensions.

Since former premier and PTI founder Imran Khan’s incarceration last year based on several cases, his party’s relationship with the government, as well as the establishment, has turned exceedingly sour. The PTI has held several protests over the last year, most of which escalated into violence after facing state repression.

Following the PTI’s ‘Final Call’ power show last month, tensions escalated as there were renewed calls to ban the party and task forces formed against an alleged “malicious campaign” as the PTI claimed a dozen deaths of its supporters, which the government officially denies.

However, after Imran formed a five-member committee to hold talks with “anyone” and his lawmakers had a softened stance in the parliament, the government, following the recommendation by NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, constituted its own committee comprising ruling coalition members.

PML-N leaders included in the committee formed yesterday by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, PM’s political aide Rana Sanaullah and Senator Irfan Siddiqui, according to a PM Office statement.

Interestingly, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who has remained a permanent feature in past government committees for political dialogues, is not part of the group this time.

The committee also includes PPP’s Raja Parvez Ashraf and Naveed Qamar, MQM-P leader Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) leader and Privatisation Minister Aleem Khan, PML-Q leader and Religious Affairs Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain and Balochistan Awami Party’s Sardar Khalid Magsi, the press release added.

Both parties were invited by Sadiq to a meeting in his Parliament House chambers.

The PTI committee is tasked with a two-point agenda: the release of PTI’s workers and supporters from prisons and judicial inquiry into the events of the May 9 riots and the November 24 protest.

The PTI committee includes Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and PTI MNA Asad Qaiser.

Separately, Imran has assigned the responsibility of uniting opposition parties to Barrister Saif, according to sources. The jailed PTI founder directed Saif to expedite negotiations with opposition leaders and unite them under the leadership of CM Gandapur.