ISLAMABAD: In a bold move to calm escalating political tensions, the government and opposition took the first steps towards dialogue on Friday, holding a face-to-face meeting aimed at breaking the deadlock and charting a path forward. The key leaders in the talks were Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the opposition leader in the National Assembly, and Rana Sanaullah, the adviser to the prime minister on political affairs. Sources privy to the development told Business Recorder that the meeting, held behind closed doors at the Parliament House library, focused on how to ease the growing rift between the embattled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the government. A large part of the discussion was centred on the opposition alliance’s extensive list of demands and laying the groundwork for possible future negotiations. However, the full scope of the opposition’s conditions remains unclear. Insiders claimed that the deteriorating health of jailed PTI founding chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, along with the ongoing legal battles facing him, his wife, and top PTI leaders, dominated the talks. Achakzai reportedly pushed for these issues to be addressed as a priority to ensure more productive discussions. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026