Daily Times

The first round of talks between the government and the opposition concluded Thursday evening, with both sides set to meet on Friday (today) at 3pm to continue the negotiation process.

In the first round of talks – which lasted for around two hours – at the Parliament House’s Committee Room Number 3, both sides informed each other about their top leadership’s stance, a private TV channel claimed.

The government’s delegation comprised Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Yousaf Raza Gilani, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, and Commerce Minister Naveed Qamar. The opposition’s delegation included PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry, and the party’s top legal expert Barrister Ali Zafar.

PPP’s Yousaf Raza Gilani, who participated in the negotiations from the government’s side, said while speaking to the media that the talks would resume Friday at 3pm at the Parliament House, during which the PTI would present its demands. Parties part of the ruling coalition would then be apprised of the PTI’s demands, he added. Alongside him, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said it was principally decided that matters would be resolved within the ambit of the Constitution. Later, Senator Ali Zafar, who was part of the PTI’s negotiating team, said it was agreed during talks that a solution to the ongoing deadlock should be such that it worked best for the country and the nation. “We agreed not to employ any delaying tactics and assured each other that sincere efforts would be made to find a good solution,” he added. Zafar told a private TV channel later that a consensus was reached that all aspects of the issue of elections should be discussed and debated during the negotiations. Moreover, he added, “It was decided that there will be one-point agenda for the talks – elections.”

The senator said the PTI intended to conclude the talks before the end of this week, but the talks may continue for a longer period. But “we intend to submit our findings to the Supreme Court by Monday”, he added, referring to the top court’s directives for political parties to hold talks and evolve a consensus on elections. He further said that no allegations were exchanged between the two sides during the talks. Meanwhile, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, another member of the PTI’s negotiating committee, said while speaking to the media in Islamabad that both sides had presented their stance and members of the ruling coalition told them that they had to take all allies on board. “We have already consulted PTI chief Imran Khan and have his full mandate,” he said, adding that representatives of the ruling coalition had told the PTI delegation that all coalition partners had to be consulted and taken on board. The PTI leader said the PTI had agreed to their request and asked them to proposed a solution after consulting their allies. “And if the solution is within the constitutional ambit, we will discuss it with an open mind.”

Regarding the progress of talks, he said both sides agreed that solutions to political problems could be found through talks, provided that they are held with sincere intentions and in a meaningful way. “Our intention is to find a way forward for these talks and not use them as delaying tactics,” he said, adding, “We believe that whatever solution we will come up with it would be within the constitutional ambit.” Earlier in the day, Senate Chairman Sanjarani wrote letters to Leader of the House Ishaq Dar and Opposition’s Shahzad Wasim seeking names of members for a “special committee” on “holding political dialogue”. The development had come a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that “arbitration is not the SC’s job” and the parliament will have the final say regarding the initiation of talks with the PTI. Subsequently, two senior ministers contacted the Senate chairman and urged him to play his role in bridging the divide. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique met Sanjrani and asked him to form a committee comprising five senators each from the government and opposition sides.

In identical letters addressed to Dar and Shahzad, the Senate chairman said that he was approached by the government and allies to “facilitate the initiation of political dialogue to address the ongoing political and economic crisis including the holding of general elections”. “In this context, the constitution of a committee comprising members of the Senate belonging to both sides of the aisles has been proposed,” he said. Sanjarani noted that the Senate was bestowed with the responsibility of “protecting the national and political harmony vis-a-vis the national and public interest”. Therefore, he continued, a 10-member committee was being formed for holding political dialogue under the joint convenership of Dar and Shahzad. It will comprise four members each from the treasury and opposition benches.

PTI’s Demands

* NA, Sindh, Balochistan assemblies should be dissolved in May

* Constitution must be amended to extend polls beyond May 14

* Elections should be held across country in July this year —Fawad Chaudhry