Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior vice-president Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday urged party supporters to get ready for a “big movement” if talks with the ruling coalition fail.
Chaudhry announced on Twitter that PTI will start holding rallies in Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar from May 1 under the leadership of party chairman Imran Khan.
The senior leader said the PTI wants the talks to succeed, however, it has prepared a “strategy” in case talks with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government fail.
تحریک انصاف مذاکرات کی کامیابی چاہتی ہے لیکن ناکامی کی صورت میں حکمت عملی مرتب کرلی ہے، یہ نہیں ہو سکتا کہ آئین کو ردی کا ٹکڑا اور عوام کو کیڑے مکوڑے سمجھ لیا جائے اور تحریک انصاف خاموش بیٹھ جائے مذاکرات کی ناکامی کی صورت میں عوام بڑی تحریک کیلئے تیار ہو جائیں، تحریک کا آغاز کل…
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) April 30, 2023
“The PTI will not sit idly by if [the government] treats the constitution as garbage and the people as vermin,” the senior leader said.
The government and PTI are engaged in talks to decide the date of the elections following the Supreme Court orders. The two sides have held two rounds of talks and are scheduled to meet on May 2 (Tuesday) for the “final” round of talks.
These talks are important to end the impasse over the elections, which has fueled political tension in the country, leading to an economic crisis. Find a solution.
The court had directed the political parties to decide the date of the elections by April 26, but there was no progress till the deadline.
Moreover, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman decided to stay away from the talks as his party believes that talks with Imran Khan’s PTI will not succeed.
In the final round of negotiations, the ruling coalition ruled out the possibility of a deadlock between the parties. The opposition and the government decided to consult with their top leadership and allies on the proposals presented during the meeting.
Both delegations were hopeful of a conclusion on Tuesday, but the PTI warned that the talks could “derail” at any time if law enforcers continue to arrest its activists.
The call for protests comes after the Punjab Police raided the residence of former Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Friday night to arrest him, drawing sharp criticism from the PTI.
Proposals?
Sources familiar with the negotiations told JEE News that the government had proposed to hold elections in September this year.
However, sources said that the PTI initially did not agree to this and suggested that the elections be held in July.
The sources said that the government representatives told the opposition that they have to present the budget in June and the elections will be held very soon in July.
After that, the PTI delegation agreed to put the government’s proposal before Khan.
Sources further said that Member of Assembly of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) Kishore Zahra told the members present in the meeting that it would be better if both parties reach a consensus, otherwise if any external power comes, it will be their responsibility. There will be a setback. Involved
Khan’s condition
Meanwhile, Khan offered his condition that talks with the government would only go ahead if they agreed to dissolve the National Assembly.
I am telling them both (Fawad Chaudhry and Shah Mehmood Qureshi) 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.
Khan also said that the “ball” is now in the government’s court on the issue of elections.
