Daily Times

A group of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders held a meeting in London on Saturday with party president Shehbaz Sharif to discuss the party’s role in various parliamentary matters, including the pending legislation on the army chief’s tenure and the suspended appointments of the chief election commissioner.

Among the members present in the meeting were Ahsan Iqbal, Ishaq Dar, Senator Pervaiz Rashid, Khawaja Asif, Rana Tanvir, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Marriyum Aurangzeb.

The session was held at Maroush Gardens on Edgware Road. The group is currently gathered at Avenfield apartments to inquire after party supremo Nawaz Sharif’s health.

After emerging from the meeting venue, Asif said Shehbaz was briefed on parliamentary issues which arose in the recent weeks as well as non-parliamentary matters that Pakistan is confronted with. “His guidance on these issues was sought,” said Asif.

“We will formulate the party’s policy on these matters upon our return to Pakistan,” he said, adding, “The issue of the army chief’s extension cannot be commented on until the issuance of the detailed judgement.”

Asif also said that if fresh elections were to take place, “our stance is that the first step should be an in-house change, not for the sake of perpetuating the change but for the sake of holding new elections”.

The PML-N leader said the £190 million settlement by the family of property tycoon Malik Riaz was not discussed. “We will inquire after the party’s supreme leader and also take guidance (from Nawaz and Shehbaz) mainly on the issues of legislation on the extension in service of the army chief and the appointment of the new chief election commissioner (CEC),” PML-N spokesperson Maryam Aurangzeb had told a newspaper before the group’s departure from Pakistan on Thursday. She said the party leaders would return in a week after the consultation.

The Supreme Court had in the last week of November allowed General Bajwa to serve as army chief for another six months and asked the government to determine the tenure, terms and conditions of the service of an army chief through legislation within the period. For that, the government will need a majority vote in both houses of parliament. Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak and Foreign Minister Qureshi both recently said that the government would consult opposition parties before starting the legislation process.

Meanwhile, the opposition and government are facing a deadlock over the appointments of ECP members, as both sides have failed to reach a consensus on the matter. Though both Shehbaz and Prime Minister Imran Khan have sent their recommendations for the post to the relevant parliamentary committee, an agreement is yet to be reached.

On the other hand, PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said that the “minus-one agenda” was erupting within the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and the opposition had played no role in it.

“PTI members are contacting members of the opposition […] senior ministers are also helpless in front of ‘the friends of Khan’,” he said in his talk to the media.

“The PTI couldn’t bring change in the country, however an [apparent] change could be seen within the party,” he added.