Daily Times

Following Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Sirajul Haq’s meeting with PTI Chairman Imran Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Sunday constituted a three-member committee to hold dialogue on the ongoing political crisis in the country. The official notification of the formation of the committee has been issued by PTI’s central secretary general Asad Umar. The three-member committee includes Pervez Khattak, Senator Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhry and Mian Mehmoodur Rashid. The three-member PTI committee will hold talks with the JI regarding the ongoing political crisis in the country. A day earlier, a significant thaw in political tensions was witnessed after the ruling coalition and the opposition PTI expressed their willingness to hold talks with each other “within the framework of the Constitution” following their separate meetings with the JI chief during the day. Haq called on the PTI chairman at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore. He was accompanied by JI deputy chief Liaquat Baloch and Central Secretary General Amirul Azeem. During the meeting, Siraj advised Imran to hold talks with the government. He suggested forming a committee to forge a “broad consensus” for holding the elections. The PTI chief welcomed the proposal and agreed to negotiate with the government “within the framework and limits of the Constitution”. In January this year, Imran had dissolved both the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assemblies in a bid to force the incumbent government to hold snap elections.

However, the current rulers have been reluctant to cave in to the former ruling party’s demand. The JI is likely to hold an all parties conference (APC) on political crisis after Eidul Fitr. A private news channel quoting sources reported that for the sake of a big development in the country’s political scenario, the APC will be spearheaded by the JI. The contacts had been started in a bid to invite Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PTI Chairman Imran Khan to the conference.

The JI believed that holding split-up polls was not in the interest of the country. So, therefore, the government and the opposition should agree on the date for simultaneous elections. In terms of holding “elections in one go”, the JI will convince the government to hold the elections before October, and to the PTI after May. The JI leadership will negotiate with the PTI and the PML-N’s nominated members ahead of the APC. The PML-N asked Khawaja Saad Rafique and Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to move forward with the negotiations with the JI in a bid to settle the matter of elections.