A day after the Supreme Court instructed Pakistan’s major political parties to reach a consensus on an election date within a week, senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira confirmed that the ruling alliance contacted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday.
Kaira shared the information on Geo News’ Naya Pakistan program on Friday and confirmed that PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq spoke to PTI’s Asad Qaiser on Thursday to resolve the ongoing political crisis in the country.
Reports indicate that Economic Affairs Minister Sardar Ayaz Sadiq approached former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, conveying that the ruling alliance was ready for talks.
The Supreme Court, comprising a three-member bench, sought a progress report on April 27 about the upcoming meeting of political leaders scheduled for April 26. The court’s directives followed assurances from the PPP and PML-N on April 20 that they would collaborate with the PTI to determine an election date.
During the TV show, Kaira stated that while the court has different ways of handling the situation, political parties must explore possibilities to find a solution. However, he expressed disappointment with the court’s order, asserting that it should be a matter for political forces to resolve.
The PPP leader insisted that neither the establishment nor the court should interfere in negotiations between political forces. Despite disagreements among the ruling coalition partners about holding talks with PTI, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari stressed the importance of dialogue with the opposition. He was supported by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Balochistan National Party, Balochistan Awami Party, Chaudhry Salik, and Mohsin Dawar.
However, representatives of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and the Jamhoori Wattan Party (JWP) rejected Bilawal’s opinion. They argued that it was not in the coalition’s interests to hold talks with the deposed prime minister Imran Khan, who was ousted from office through a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly last April.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Siraj Ul Haq, trying to bring both sides to the table to steer the country out of the crisis, claimed that political contact would expedite after the Eid ul Fitr. Haq added that both PM Shehbaz and Imran Khan realized that the situation was dire and that his party had a one-point agenda: elections should be nationwide.
Additional Input was taken from GEO News
