Daily Times

The discussions between government and the opposition vis-à-vis anti-government ‘Azadi March’ planned by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (Fazl) ended late Friday night without any results.

“No important conclusion could be brought about even after much discussion. But talks will continue,” Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak said after the conclusion of the second round.

“No conclusion could be arrived at,” JUI-F leader Akram Durrani said from the opposition camp. The opposition committee members in attendance included Durrani, Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (JUP) leader Awais Noorani, PPP’s Nayyar Bukhari and Farhatullah Babar, PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal, former National Assembly speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Awami National Party’s Mian Iftikhar, Qaumi Watan Party’s Hashim Babar and National Party’s Tahir Bizenjo.

Top leadership of the main opposition parties including PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman were not present in the meeting.

From the government’s side, the seven-member negotiation committee comprised Khattak, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, MNA Asad Umar, Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood, Religious Affairs Minister Noorul Haq Qadri, and Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi.

The two sides had initially held talks on Friday evening, with the government team putting talks on hold briefly to seek time to take into confidence top government leadership. The meeting, which was held at JUI-F leader Akram Durrani’s residence in Islamabad, later reconvened after both sides had a discussion within their own groups.

Earlier in the day prior to the meeting with the government, the Rehbar Committee members had also gathered for a discussion between themselves.

After the initial talks which lasted around two hours, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak has said the discussions were held ‘in a cordial environment’. “Both sides put forward their recommendations. God-willing we will give the nation good news soon,” he had said.

A private TV channel claimed that the venue of the protest remained a sticking point in the first round of discussions, with the government refusing to grant permission for it to be held at D-Chowk and instead offering that it may be held at Parade Ground. The opposition did not agree to the government’s offer.

The report further revealed that of the opposition’s demands – which include the prime minister’s resignation, fresh elections, supremacy of civilian institutions, and the safeguarding of clauses pertaining to Islam within the Constitution – talks were held only on the protest venue in the first round.

During the course of the first meeting, Islamabad Assistant Deputy Commissioner Waseem Ahmed was summoned, who arrived a few minutes later to join the discussion.

Earlier, when asked by a reporter if the government team had brought with them the prime minister’s resignation – as was demanded by the JUI-F chief a day earlier – Khattak said talks about the resignation are ‘off the table’.