PTI submits report on election talks in SC

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday submitted a detailed report of negotiations with the ruling alliance in the Supreme Court (SC), ARY News reported.

The report has been submitted to SC Registrar’s Office will the details regarding three rounds of talks held with the coalition government.

Taking to his Twitter handle earlier today, Fawad wrote that the party in its report will also request the apex court to implement its order [April 4 verdict] regarding the Punjab Assembly elections.

تحریک انصاف آج سپریم کورٹ میں PDM اتحاد سے مذاکرات کی تفصیلی رپورٹ جمع کروا رہی ہے، استدعا کی جا رہی ہے کہ پنجاب اسمبلی کے انتخابات سے متعلق سپریم کورٹ اپنے حکم پر عملدرآمد کروائے

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) May 3, 2023

More rounds of talks will remain meaningless’

Speaking to ARY News today, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said they [PTI] tried to take the matter forward with good intentions, adding that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar admitted that the party showed flexibility.

“PTI showed flexibility for national consensus,” he said, adding that on one hand negotiations were carried out while on the other hand government raiding the houses of our leaders.

Govt-PTI agree on single-day polls

The third round of talks between delegations of ruling coalition and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) concluded late Tuesday, with both sides agreeing on holding general elections on the same day across the country.

A three-member delegation – comprising of Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry and Senator Ali Zafar – were representing PTI in the talks.

Meanwhile, the delegation of ruling coalition includes PML-N’s Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Azam Nazeer Tarar and Sardar Ayaz Sadiq along with PPP’s Senator Yousuf Raza Gilani and Syed Naveed Qamar.

Talking to media after the meeting, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar from the government’s side said that a consensus was reached on holding elections on the same day across the country under a caretaker setup.

The finance minister noted that both sides tabled their proposals on date for holding general elections. “Both the side still don’t agree on one point in the agenda,” he said, adding that another round will soon take place.

Ishaq Dar further said that the delegations will consult with their respective leaders, adding that flexibility was being shown from both sides in the negotiations.

Political impasse

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.

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.