The much-hyped dialogue between the government and opposition proved inconclusive on Friday and ended in stalemate over terms and venue of JUI-F protest. The JUI-F has declined the government's offer to hold protest and sit-in at Parade Ground and insists that it would hold the protest campaign at D-Chowk which has resulted in a deadlock between the two sides, Business Recorder has learnt.
The government committee mandated to hold talks with the opposition and Rahbar Committee, an alliance of nine anti-government political parties, established their maiden formal contact on Friday following a meeting between the senior leaders from the two sides.
Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, the head of the seven-member government committee, led the government side whereas Convenor Rahbar committee and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F) stalwart Akram Durrani led the opposition's side.
Apart from Khattak, Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani, Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser, Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood, Religious Affairs Minister Noor-ul-Haq Qadri and PTI's Member National Assembly (MNA) Asad Umer attended the meeting.
The opposition side included Shah Awais Noorani from Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (Noorani) and other leaders.
"The negotiations were held in cordial atmosphere," the defense minister briefed the media after the meeting's 'first' session. "They opposition shared their suggestions. We shared ours. Both the sides would put forth these suggestions and will meet again today (Saturday) night," Khattak said. "Hopefully we would share good news. We are very near to reaching a consensus," he said.
Separately, Durrani also told the media that talks with the government's side were held in a cordial atmosphere. "They (government's side) came to us. Both sides want the talks to be meaningful and conclusive."
Earlier, speaking to journalists before the meeting, Khattak said the government committee has already made it clear that it would not hold any discussion with the Rahbar Committee on Prime Minister Imran Khan's resignation (as demanded by opposition.)
"We are politicians and politicians solve their dispute through political means, by dialogue," Sanjrani, the Chairman Senate and Acting President said in a brief interaction with the media before the committee.
"We are here for reconciliation," said Pervez Elahi.
Sources privy to the government-opposition talks told Business Recorder that the government's side offered the JUI-F to stage sit-in at the Parade Ground in Islamabad on the condition that the political party would give written assurances that it would not resort to any kind of violence during its protest campaign.
The government side wants to enter into a written agreement with the JUI-F leadership regarding October 31 Azadi March and sit-in, and involve senior members of opposition parties as guarantors for JUI-F, in the agreement, it is learnt. Moreover, the government wants the inclusion of a provision in the agreement that the government would be justified in taking action if JUI-F resorts to violence, the PTI source said.
The source said the PM's resignation demand was a bargaining tactic used by JUI-F leadership to draw maximum leverage from negotiations. "In reality, the opposition knows that this demand is not acceptable to the government."
On the other hand, the JUI-F leadership was insistent to hold 'Azadi' march and sit-in at D-Chowk and was ready to give written assurances that the protestors would not resort to any kind of violence if allowed to protest at the D-Chowk, a demand the government was unwilling to entertain.
Immediately after the meeting's initial session, the defence minister is said to have contacted the PM apprising him of the meeting's details. Durrani reportedly contacted JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and discussed with him what transpired in the meeting.
A Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker told Business Recorder that the government side was hopeful that the JUI-F would agree to hold protest at Parade Ground keeping in view that Islamabad High Court (IHC) had ordered the PTI to hold protest at Parade Ground.
On October 27, 2016, the IHC had ordered that the PTI should hold its protest at Parade Ground while barring Imran Khan's party from locking down Islamabad. The court issued this order on the petition against PTI's scheduled lockdown of the federal capital on November 2, 2016. The PTI was set to challenge this decision in the Supreme Court before the top court started hearing of Panama Papers case on November 1, a day before the planned lockdown, leading the PTI to cancel its protest campaign. Instead, the PTI leadership celebrated a "Thanksgiving Day' at the Parade Ground.
On Wednesday, the PM, after holding meeting with the government committee, allowed the JUI-F to hold protest at Parade Ground. "It was decided that the government, with its firm belief in upholding democratic ideals, would allow the proposed Azadi March, if it takes place within the ambit of law and the Constitution as interpreted in the decisions of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and Islamabad High Court," said a press release from the Prime Minister's Office issued after the meeting between the PM and the government committee members Wednesday.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2019
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