[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]LAHORE: There was a significant thaw in political tensions on Saturday after the ruling coalition and the opposition PTI expressed their willingness to hold talks “within the framework of the Constitution” following separate meetings with Jamaat-e-Islami chief during the day.
Sirajul Haq, the leader of the JI, paid a visit to PTI chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore. JI deputy chief Liaquat Baloch and Central Secretary General Amirul Azeem accompanied him.
PTI Central Vice President Ejaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Senator Shibli Faraz, and Political Affairs Assistant Hafiz Farhat Abbas were also present at the huddle.
The PTI chief dissolved both the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assemblies in January of this year in an attempt to force the incumbent government to hold snap elections.
The current rulers, on the other hand, have been hesitant to give in to the former ruling party’s demand.
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Siraj advised Imran to hold talks with the government during the meeting. He proposed forming a committee to reach a “broad consensus” on how to hold the elections.
The PTI chief welcomed the proposal and agreed to negotiate “within the framework and limits of the Constitution.”
The JI chief believes that the country’s elections should be held concurrently. “[The] political situation has to be resolved politically because Pakistan cannot afford any uncertainty,” he added.
Both parties also talked about topics of mutual interest and agreed to stay in touch in the coming days.
However, PTI senior leader Fawad Chaudhry dismissed the notion of a breakthrough between the government and the opposition, calling the JI and others’ efforts nothing more than a “media consumption” move.
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He went on to say that talks between his party and those in power – regardless of who sat among them, and at a time when PTI leaders were being arrested left and right – seemed pretty pointless, because the government’s intent was very clear by virtue of its actions.
He insisted that holding elections within 90 days was a constitutional requirement, and that any talks that did not include polls on the agenda were pointless to begin with.
He went on to say that the PTI would finish its ticket distribution process by the 18th of this month, after which its candidates would begin their election campaigns.
The JI and others are nothing more than a “media consumption” move.
He went on to say that talks between his party and those in power – regardless of who sat among them, and at a time when PTI leaders were being arrested left and right – seemed pretty pointless, because the government’s intent was very clear by virtue of its actions.
He insisted that holding elections within 90 days was a constitutional requirement, and that any talks that did not include polls on the agenda were pointless to begin with.
He went on to say that the PTI would finish its ticket distribution process by the 18th of this month, after which its candidates would begin their election campaigns.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
