Kishwer Zehra says PDM, PTI agreed on July elections before SMQ announcement

ISLAMABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Kishwer Zehra said that Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had agreed on elections in July before the PTI vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s announcement of talks failure, ARY News reported.

In an exclusive interview with ARY News, MQM leader Kishwer Zehra who was a member of the PDM committee for talks regarding elections, made startling revelations regarding the election talks.

She said that the PDM and PTI talks were not unsuccessful as both sides had agreed on dissolving assemblies and holding elections. It was decided that assemblies will be dissolved in July and the election will be held one week after the budget 2023-24.

Kishwer Zehra further said that she was surprised when PTI vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi announced that the talks were unsuccessful as both committees had already finalized the content for the fourth round.

She revealed that Ishaq Dar and Yousaf Raza Gillani had assured the government tenure will not be extended and if the talks would have continued, this would have been given to PTI in writing.

Furthermore, the MQM leader said that when Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaulllah was asked about the arrest of PTI workers, he said he has no information about the arrest. The talks deteriorated after the police raid on PTI president and former chief minister Punjab Pervaiz Elahi, she added.

Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudry said that Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N’s) internal politics is damaging the PTI, and PDM talks regarding elections. The PML-N leaders Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, and Javed Latif of the Maryam Nawaz group are misguiding Ishaq Dar, Saaf Rafique and Azam Nazir Tarar, he added.