ISLAMABAD: On the heels of speculated “reconciliation” between the treasury and opposition over holding general elections in the country, the officials of government held a crucial meeting with senior leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday –in the first round of “political dialogue.”

In this context, government and PTI delegations held their maiden meeting at the Parliament House.

Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani facilitated the talks between the two sides.

Government delegation comprised of Finance Minister and Leader of the House in Senate Ishaq Dar, Commerce Minister Naveed Qamar, Law Minister Azam Tarar, Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, Yousaf Raza Gillani and Kishwer Zehra.

Ruling coalition vows to defend parliament but divided over talks with PTI

Vice Chairman PTI Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Barrister Ali Zafar and Fawad Chaudhry were three members of PTI committee formed by party Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan for holding dialogue with the government.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, PTI’s Qureshi said the political parties resolve their differences with dialogue. He, however, reiterated not to allow “this dialogue being used as a delaying tactic to drift away from the elections.”

“We have been here with an aim to chalk a way out. We have presented our viewpoint,” the PTI vice chairman said, adding that the meeting with the government’s delegation continued for two hours and the next round of talks was scheduled today (Friday).

From the government’s side, Dar said, the all matters would be resolved within the ambit of the constitution.

Gillani said any decision after the dialogue would be taken in consultation with all political parties, he said.

Before the talks, a delegation of Awami National Party (ANP), an ally of the coalition government, comprising of Zahid Khan and Iftikhar Hussain, called on the three PTI leaders.

The ANP delegates invited the PTI leaders to attend an all parties moot scheduled this July, a statement issued after the meeting stated.

Earlier, chairman Senate, on the request of the government, reached out to the treasury and opposition benches in the Senate for the formation of a special committee “to facilitate the initiation of political dialogue to address the ongoing political and economic crisis including the holding of general elections.”

The Senate chief, to this effect, wrote separate letters to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, in his capacity as Leader of the House in Senate, and Opposition Leader in Senate Dr Shahzad Waseem seeking the names, within two days, of four senators each from the two sides for the formation of a 10-member special committee under the joint convenorship of the leader of the house and leader of the opposition.

However, both the sides; the government and opposition, reportedly conveyed to Sanjrani that their respective panels for dialogue had been formed—and the government’s delegation have three senators— Dar, Gillani and Tarar—and the opposition’s three-member delegation has only one senator—Zafar.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023