The ruling alliance has decided to arrange a meeting after Eid ul Fitr in which leaders from all political parties will gather so that the existing consultation process with parties in parliament and outside of parliament may be pushed to the next level.
In the midst of the country’s constitutional crisis, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif presided over a high-level meeting at the PM House on Wednesday attended by coalition partners — an alliance of 13 political parties in the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — to discuss the overall situation in the country as well as the future course of action.
The ruling coalition has encountered a snag in its negotiations with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The coalition partners met in Islamabad following a meeting called by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss the country’s political situation and the JI’s negotiating efforts.
During the conference, there was disagreement among coalition government parties about holding talks with the opposition party, with some believing that PTI Chairman Imran Khan could not be trusted and others insisting that political forces should not close avenues for negotiations.
In an unexpected turn of events, the ruling alliance met yesterday to address the ongoing issue of holding elections on the same day and resolved to meet again after Eid to reach a definitive decision.
The conference also revealed that the coalition parties were already deliberating on how to conduct elections, for which PM Shehbaz has formed a committee.
“From offering the Charter of Economy at every stage until now, the coalition government has expressed willingness for serious, meaningful, and constitutional talks,” the huddle added.
“Ensuring free, fair, and transparent elections is fundamental to the Constitution.”
The group also agreed that all prerequisites for holding an election would be met in order for the results to be acceptable to all parties and the country to avoid further instability, which could harm national and economic interests.
Bilawal meets JUI-F chief
Furthermore, Pakistan Peoples’ Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari met with PDM Chief Maulana Fazl ur Rehman for an “extensive discussion” about the current political scenario.
According to sources, Bilawal advocated communication with the opposition during the recent meeting of the ruling alliance, with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Balochistan National Party, Balochistan Awami Party, Chaudhry Salik, and Mohsin Dawar supporting him.
However, representatives of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and the Jamhoori Wattan Party (JWP) rejected Bilawal’s opinion, claiming that it is not in the coalition’s best interests to hold talks with the deposed prime minister, who was removed from office in April last year following a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly.
Bilawal, on the other hand, decided to meet directly with the JUI-F leader. Following the meeting, Bilawal took to Twitter to announce the news.
“I am optimistic that the party heads meeting after Eid will make positive progress,” he added. “The IA will finalise the issues of one-day elections across the country [and] modalities for dialogue with the opposition,” he stated.
