[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]The third round of talks between the government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has concluded. Both parties agreed that national elections should be held on the same day. On the other hand, no agreement could be reached on holding national elections on that day.
The conversations, according to PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, have not progressed. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar stated that the negotiations were proceeding well and that both parties had agreed to hold simultaneous elections.
While the PTI had accepted the PDM’s demands, including same-day voting, the election date and dissolution of the assembly could not be met, according to the PTI leader.
Ishaq Dar stated that the discussions had greatly improved. He claimed that discussions about early assembly dissolution were taking place, but that there were some significant obstacles.
To avoid future unrest, he stated that the budget for the upcoming fiscal year must be provided, caretaker arrangements must be made, and free and fair elections must be held.
Prior to the formation of caretaker governments, he stated that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme was equally important for the country and must be completed.
According to Yousaf Raza Gilani, the negotiations took place in a favourable environment. He also stated that the results must be accepted by all parties. He also expressed his best wishes to Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s wife.
After the meeting, Shah Mehmood Qureshi told the media that no agreement could be reached on dissolving assemblies and holding nationwide elections on the same day. In order to allow for the formation of an elected government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), he stated that the PTI wishes for elections in Punjab to be held on May 14 and for a decision on elections in KP to be made as soon as possible.
The PTI leader stated that they had proposed a timetable for holding elections. He stated that they will present their findings on the elections to Pakistan’s Supreme Court.
According to Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the PTI demanded that elections be held in Punjab on May 14, while the PDM believed that elections should be held concurrently in September.
Qureshi also stated that both parties engaged in extensive discussions in order to reach a joint decision. He claimed that the PTI had proposed dissolving the Sindh and Balochistan legislatures before May 14.
According to him, the 90-day requirement of the Constitution will not be met in time for the elections, thus PTI had even proposed a one-time amendment to the Constitution. He said that they desired for the decision to be made on the directions of the Supreme Court.
He said that following the end of the second round of voting, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, the president of the PTI, was the target of a police raid, and a number of lawsuits were then filed against Imran Khan. In spite of the fact that Ali Amin Gandapur had been granted bail in a prior case, he was still being targeted.
The utterances of Javed Latif, Khawaja Asif, and Ahsan Iqbal had also backfired and exposed a gap in PTI’s serious efforts to engage in discussions, Qureshi said.
Fawad Chaudhry, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, and Senator Ali Zafar represented the PTI, while the government’s team included Khawaja Saad Rafique, Azam Nazir Tarar, Ishaq Dar, Yousaf Raza Gilani, Syed Naveed Qamar, and Tariq Bashir Cheema.
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The talks were supposed to take place in the morning, but the government moved them to 9 p.m.
According to reports, both parties communicated with their respective leaders during today’s talks. The PTI team spoke with Imran Khan, the party’s leader. Saad Rafique contacted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while Gilani spoke with Asif Ali Zardari to convey the other parties’ positions.
Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani hosted both negotiating teams for dinner prior to the start of today’s talks.
This was the third round of talks between both parties. First and second rounds were held on April 27 and April 28.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
