Breakthrough in negotiations between ruling coalition, PTI

ISLAMABAD: Signs of a breakthrough in negotiations between ruling coalition and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have emerged as the former has contacted Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani to break the existing political impasse, ARY News reported on Wednesday, citing sources.

Sources told ARY News that federal ministers and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Azam Nazeer Tarar and Saad Rafique have contacted Senate Chairman for talks with opposition – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The ministers proposed to constitute five-member committees of opposition and government from upper house of Parliament. They also sought place in Parliament House for negotiations, sources claimed.

Sources further claimed that Senate Chairman will write a letter to the opposition and apprised it of government’s proposal.

Meanwhile, sources added, Sadiq Sanjrani has contacted PTI leaders Shahzad Waseem and Asad Umar following the government’s recommendation. Moreover, PML-N leader Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was also consulting with other political parties.

Earlier in the day, a meeting of ruling coalition noted that the process of dialogue, consultation and consensus lies within the exclusive domain of political parties and they have been doing it successfully for years.

It unanimously decided to keep the matter within the same ambit and brooded over the future strategy for taking the ongoing consultation process to the next stage.

It is to be noted here that the government had assured the Supreme Court of holding talks with the opposition over elections in two provinces on April 26.

During SC’s last hearing on polls delay case, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had assured the Supreme Court that they will sit with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and try to find a solution on the election date.

A three-member bench of the top court — headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar — has sought a progress report on the talks by April 27.

The Supreme Court – in its April 4 order – declared Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to postpone elections to the Punjab Assembly till October 8 “unconstitutional” and fixed May 14 as new date.

The National Assembly later passed a resolution rejecting the three-member Supreme Court bench’s verdict on the Punjab polls, stating that it would not provide funds to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for polls.