ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rejected the suggestion of setting up a 10-member special parliamentary committee to hold talks on elections by Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani.
Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court on Thursday, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the party has rejected Sanjrani’s committee as it is a matter of political consensus and not of the Senate.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the party has already formed its three-member committee after consulting with party chief Imran Khan. The panel includes Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry and Barrister Ali Zafar.
The ruling coalition had proposed setting up a 10-member parliamentary committee with equal representation from both parties to discuss holding elections on a single date across the country.
The thaw in the tense political scene came when the government was directed by the Supreme Court to reach a consensus on the election date after a parliamentary committee suggested talks with the opposition.
According to JEE News sources, Federal Law Minister Nazir Tarar and Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq contacted Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani in this regard.
Sources further said that the government proposed to include five members from each party in the parliamentary committee.
After the meeting, Sanjrani wrote to PTI seeking nominations for the committee.
In his letter to PTI leader Shahzad Wasim, the Senate Chairman said he had been approached by the ruling coalition to mediate “political negotiations to address the ongoing political and economic crisis, including the holding of general elections”.
He wrote, “Senate of Pakistan; House of Federation, being the element of stability of the federation is constitutionally entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding national and political harmony along with national and public interest.”
Sanjrani further said that a 10-member special committee is being formed under the joint convenorship of the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate for political negotiations, which will include four members each from the Finance and Opposition benches.
He added that his office and the Senate would be available to facilitate negotiations. He then asked Waseem to provide the names of four members of the opposition benches on behalf of PTI to be part of the committee within two days.
Sources said that earlier Sanjrani had also contacted PTI leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Asad Umar and Waseem.
It may be noted that the Supreme Court had on April 20 directed the political parties to hold talks to reach a consensus on the date of the elections in the country, the government had insisted on holding the elections on the same day.
On April 4, a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Atta Bandial ordered the government to hold elections in Punjab on May 14.
However, after issuing its written judgment in the previous hearing, the court stated that its decision on the issue of delay in elections has already fixed May 14 as the date for the Punjab Assembly elections.
Panel of PTI
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Imran Khan constituted a three-member panel to hold talks with the government on the election issue and other related matters.
The panel includes PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Vice President Fawad Chaudhry and Senator Barrister Ali Zafar.
It should be noted that the Supreme Court has directed the political parties to negotiate to reach a consensus on the date of the elections in the country, the government has insisted on holding the elections on the same day.
The government is expected to apprise the Supreme Court of the progress made in implementing the orders at the hearing today on the petitions for holding simultaneous elections across the country.
On April 4, a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Atta Bandial ordered the government to hold elections in Punjab on May 14.
However, after issuing its written judgment in the previous hearing, the court stated that its decision on the issue of delay in elections has already fixed May 14 as the date for the Punjab Assembly elections.
