ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Friday that he has instructed leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Fawad Chaudhry to talk to the government only if they dissolve the National Assembly.
I am telling them both that if the government is ready to dissolve the National Assembly and hold elections, then talk. If they (the government) repeat the same talk of holding elections in September or October, then there is no need,” the PTI chief said while talking to reporters at the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
When he was talking to the media, Qureshi and Fawad were with him. On Thursday, the duo, along with Barrister Ali Zafar, held the first round of talks with the government on the elections. The two sides will meet again today.
During his informal interaction with reporters at the IHC, the PTI chief also said that the “ball” is now in the government’s court on the issue of elections.
If the elections are not held on May 14, it means that the constitution has been broken. If the constitution is violated, whoever has the power will take their course,” the PTI chief said.
He added that his party always respected the Supreme Court, adding that there was no comparison between PTI and Pakistan Democratic Movement as his party was with the constitution while the other was against it.
“The Constitution is supreme, not Parliament,” Khan said.
First round of Negotiations
The ruling alliance and the PTI finally came to the negotiating table a day early to discuss the date of the polls following Supreme Court orders.
Sources told JEE News that in the first round of talks – which lasted for nearly two hours – in Committee Room No. 3 of the Parliament House, the two sides briefed each other on the position of their top leadership.
The government delegation included federal ministers Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Naveed Qamar, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Azam Nazir Tarar and Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Yousuf Raza Gilani.
The PTI delegation briefed the government about PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s stance on the elections and the procedure for conducting the elections.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Gilani said that the ruling parties will consult each other and take a decision. “Whatever decision is made, it will be based on input from all parties.”
Speaking to the media, Qureshi said that the consultation ended after two hours and emphasized that political parties find solutions to problems through dialogue.
“We have entered the talks with the spirit of reaching a decision […] but we will not allow the talks to be used as a delaying tactic in the elections,” the PTI vice-chairman said.
After the meeting, sources told JEE News that PTI presented three demands to the government delegation:
- The National and Provincial Assemblies should be dissolved in May this year and the constitution should be amended to extend the elections beyond May 14.
- If the government decides to amend the constitution, the resignations of PTI will have to be recalled.
- Nationwide elections should be held in July this year.
