Prior to their meeting, representatives from both sides met with Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani in the Parliament House.
The meeting follows a historic first round of negotiations, in which the ruling coalition and the PTI discussed the possibility of holding general elections simultaneously across the country.
The government side was represented by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, Pakistan Peoples Party (PP) Senator Yousaf Raza Gillani, and Kishwar Zehra of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).
The PTI, on the other hand, was represented by its Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry, and Senator Barrister Ali Zafar.
During the first round of talks, which lasted for over two hours, the PTI sought an early date for the dissolution of the National Assembly and the remaining two provincial assemblies Sindh and Balochistan from the government so that elections could be called on a single day in July this year.
The PTI also talked about giving constitutional cover to past and future events, as the 90-day constitutional period for holding elections in Punjab and K-P after the dissolution of assemblies had already passed.
The government expressed the possibility of holding elections in August or September, but sought time to seek the opinion of allied parties’ leadership by Friday.
The government has been blocking all moves of the apex court regarding the release of funds and provision of security by passing resolutions in the National Assembly.
PM Shehbaz Sharif, in a bid to secure his majority, took a fresh vote of confidence from the National Assembly on Thursday after a bill seeking Rs21 billion for polls was rejected by the top court.
The talks aim to develop a consensus between the two sides on ending the political crisis and holding free and fair elections in the country.
The outcome of these negotiations will be critical to the future of Pakistan’s democracy and stability.
All eyes are on the talks as both sides work towards resolving their differences and paving the way for a brighter future for the country.
