ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan is scheduled to meet members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party today, Sunday, who are part of a committee formed by him to hold political consultations with the government, the National Assembly’s spokesperson said in a statement. 

The PTI and the government kicked off negotiations last month to break the political deadlock in the country. The last round of talks between both sides on Jan. 2 ended inconclusively after Khan’s party demanded more time to meet and consult the ex-PM before submitting their demands in writing. 

Khan’s party on Tuesday demanded the government provide it “unfettered” access to the jailed ex-premier in Rawalpindi’s Adiala prison. 

The PTI has previously stated two demands: the release of all political prisoners and the establishment of judicial commissions to investigate protests on May 9, 2023, and Nov. 26, 2024, which the government says involved Khan supporters, accusing them of attacking military installations and government buildings.

“The government has arranged a meeting of the negotiation committee at Adiala Jail following the Speaker’s message,” the National Assembly’s spokesperson said. 

It added that the meeting will take place at 2:30 p.m. local time. 

Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary no-trust vote in 2022 has plunged Pakistan into a political crisis, particularly since he was jailed in August 2023 on corruption and other charges. His PTI party has regularly held protests to demand his release, with many of the demonstrations turning violent.

Talks between the two sides opened days after Khan threatened a civil disobedience movement, and amid growing concerns he may face trial by a military court for allegedly inciting attacks on sensitive security installations during the May 9, 2023 protests.

KARACHI: The air at Beach View Park in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi was filled with the enticing aroma of Sicilian slow-cooked beef, Arabic Paratha, beefy Chapli Kebabs from Peshawar and mouthwatering Chicken Tikka. 

Welcome to Karachi Eat 2025, Pakistan’s biggest annual food festival. The three-day festival has been taking place in the ‘City of Lights’ every year in January since 2014. This year’s festival, set to conclude today, Sunday, also features hundreds of eateries and offers a variety of cuisines to visitors.

According to Ticket Wala, a platform that sells tickets for entertainment events, chefs from Indonesia, Singapore, Turkiye, Romania, Malaysia, France and other countries visited Karachi for the festival. 

Sarah Aziz, a food stall owner passionately selling Sicilian cuisine, told Arab News she wanted to bring international cuisine to Pakistanis who could not travel to countries around the world. 

“We want to bring the flavors out there for everyone who can’t go to Sicily, Portugal, or Malta,” she said. “We want to bring the food here, so they can also cherish and enjoy it.”

Aziz said she wanted to “convert” her cuisine, which was for a niche market, so that many people in Pakistan can enjoy and develop a taste for it. 

“So, the menu is basically based on slow-cooked beef with lamb fat,” she said. “We are doing handmade pesto with garlic paste.”

For others like Muhammad Ismail, 28, the festival provided an opportunity for him to indulge in his love for Arabic cuisine. 

“I just had Arabic Paratha here,” Ismail, a banker by profession, told Arab News. “I have it there [Saudi Arabia] too but this one tastes exactly like the authentic one you get in Saudi Arabia, and it’s absolutely amazing,” he said. 

Shaikh Ameen, the owner of Arabi’s, a restaurant in Karachi that offers Arabic cuisine, said there was a growing appreciation for Middle Eastern cuisine in Pakistan. 

“We offer authentic shawarma, mutabbaq and kunafa, so we’re serving these authentic dishes here,” Ameen said. 

“There are quite a few people from the Middle East, especially families, who are familiar with this food, and they really enjoy it. Moreover, people’s tastes have evolved, and they really like these flavors now.”

Kashaf Noman, a textile designer in her 20s, expressed her enthusiasm for the festival. 

“I am loving it, it’s very really organized and I have many more options here than at other festivals, so it’s really nice, I’m having fun,” she said. 

Noman said she had relished fish gyozas, waffles and a Mexican drink.

CHAPLI KEBABS AND BOHRA CUISINES

While the festival featured a plethora of international flavors, it also celebrated local specialties like the Chapli Kebab, Bohra cuisines and dishes from Pakistan’s northern mountainous regions.

Bohra cuisine comprises of food items made famous by the Bohra community, a Shiite Muslim sect. 

The festival also provided a platform for lesser-known regional cuisines to showcase their items. Zaeem Ud Din, 25, a student and stall owner, introduced the traditional Chapshoro dish from the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region. 

“Our Chapshoro is not spicy; people’s taste buds aren’t the same but we still wanted to bring a tradition with us,” he said. 

“We aimed to introduce something unique from Gilgit-Baltistan as not everyone can travel there.”

There were also some outlets from Pakistan’s second-largest city Lahore, which enjoys a food rivalry with Karachi. 

Despite the general perception that Lahore’s food is inferior to that of Karachi in terms of taste, Lahore-based food stalls attracted a significant crowd at the festival.

“If someone says you can’t find anything like Karachi in Lahore, they should definitely try Arif Chatkhara,” Mirza Zaidan Baig, owner of the popular Lahore eatery “Arif Chatkhara,” told Arab News. 

And for those who did not like Arif Chatkhara’s sumptuous items, Baig had a generous offer. 

“If they don’t like it, we will send them back with double the amount they paid,” he said.