Lahore: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has convened a meeting of the ruling alliance today. It is in preparation for negotiations with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), as directed by the Supreme Court.
The top leadership of the ruling PDM & their legal experts, expected to attend the meeting. There is a possibility that Nawaz Sharif, who is presently in Saudi Arabia, will participate virtually.
The meeting of the ruling coalition will take place at 12:30 p.m. at the residence of the prime minister.
During the most recent meeting of coalition partners, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari proposed dialogue with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), but Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Chief Fazlur Rehman rejected the proposal explicitly.
The party’s leadership has asked Ayaz Sadiq to contact Asad Qaiser of the PTI. The two men have agreed to meet today. However, PTI leader Imran Khan has stated unequivocally that Shah Mahmoud Qureshi is in charge of negotiations.
On April 20, the Supreme Court postponed the hearing of the petition until April 27. When the two major ruling parties assured the court that they would meet with the PTI on April 26.
A three-member division of the highest court, comprised of Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, and Justice Munib Akhtar, has requested an update on the negotiations by April 27.
‘Disagreement’ among ruling allies
After JI attempt to bring the ruling parties and the PTI to the negotiating table a dispute arose among the ruling parties regarding holding talks with the PTI on April 18.
After PM Shehbaz convened a meeting to discuss the country’s political situation and the JI’s negotiation efforts. PDM coalition partners met in Islamabad.
During the meeting, parties in the coalition government disagreed on whether or not to conduct talks with the opposition party, with some believing that PTI Chairman Imran Khan could not be trusted and others insisting that political forces should not close negotiation channels.
According to sources, PPP Chairman Bilawal had emphasised dialogue with the opposition, and backed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Balochistan National Party, Balochistan Awami Party, Chaudhry Salik, and Mohsin Dawar.
Bilawal stated that closing the door on negotiations is against the principles of his party and “undemocratic.”
Representatives of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and the Jamhoori Wattan Party (JWP) rejected Bilawal’s opinion and stated that it is not in the coalition’s best interests to hold talks with the deposed prime minister, who was removed from office in April of last year following a vote of no confidence in the National Assembly.
Later, the PPP supreme conducted a separate meeting with the JUI-F leader in an attempt to persuade him.
Following the Supreme Court’s directives, both Bilawal and Fazl rejected the order, characterising the dialogue between political parties as “gunpoint talks.”
