By Sardar Khan Niazi
The second round of talks between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the ruling coalition to break the ongoing political and constitutional impasse in the country has ended with the intention to find a way forward while staying within the ambit of the Constitution.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Ishaq Dar said the talks took place in a pleasant environment, the government and the opposition presented their point of view and tried to understand each other’s stance in the parleys.
The final round of talks will take place at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. The ruling coalition and the PTI need to take care of the rigid elements within their parties that keep on issuing unwise statements.
Following the conclusion of the talks, Ishaq Dar said each side had tabled two proposals. Earlier the PTI put forth three key demands during the meeting. Firstly, the dissolution of the National Assembly and Sindh and Baluchistan legislatures in May to pave the way for general elections in July.
Secondly, the passage of a constitutional amendment for a one-time concession to delay polls beyond 90 days if the government wanted to go beyond the May 14 election date in Punjab. Thirdly, the withdrawal of the speaker’s order accepting the resignations of PTI MNAs to bring them back to the National Assembly.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has rightly tweeted that “the coming together of political parties with different manifestos for a common national cause represents a major step forward in the country’s political evolution. Reconciliation and cooperation, not confrontation and vendetta mark the new politics post-April 22”.
After months of political bickering, the ruling coalition and PTI leaders sat across the table for talks. The talks have rekindled hopes for breaking the continuing deadlock.
Although the political atmosphere has been venomous over the last year, these developments show that the country’s unfriendly elite is inching towards a solution to the dominant constitutional and political crises.
Thanks are due to Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani who made efforts to bring the opposition party to the table for a dialogue at the request of the federal government.
Earlier Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani wrote separate letters to Leader of the House Ishaq Dar and Leader of Opposition Dr Shahzad Waseem asking them to nominate members from both the treasury and opposition benches for a special committee to initiate talks.
In separate letters, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani requested both leaders to provide the names of four members from each side for inclusion in the special committee within two days.
The PTI delegation included Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry, and Senator Ali Zafar whereas PML-N’s Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and PPP leaders Yousuf Raza Gilani and Naveed Qamar represented the government.
Both sides have taken steps toward finding a democratic solution to one of Pakistan’s most protracted political crises. Now it is up to the government and the PTI to make the final round of talks fruitful so that the country can embark on the path to recovery.
It is a good sign that both sides agree not to use dialogue as a delaying tactic. The negotiation committees have a one-point agenda i.e. elections. After a year of bitter political rivalry, representatives of the coalition government and the PTI finally met face-to-face on Thursday and Friday in a bid to break the stalemate that has lingered on.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Imran Khan must instruct their sides to hammer out a deal that can pave the way to polls. The onus is on both sides to find a democratic solution to the impasse. If one side shows some flexibility, the other side should also respond in kind.
