After looking at the polls, politicians don’t budge.
The ruling coalition is reluctant to talk to the PTI.
In PESHAWAR and Islamabad:
The top justice of Pakistan has called on the government and the opposition to negotiate a deal on the elections, but the politicians are unwilling to budge from their positions.
In a criticism to the CJP, PPP Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari remarked, “[a] gun to our heads” is no way to have a political discourse.
As someone who had previously supported discussions with the PTI, Bilawal highlighted the importance of holding elections after the complete terms of the legislatures had expired.
At a press conference with senior party leaders Yousuf Raza Gilani and Qamar Zaman Kaira, Bilawal declared, “Negotiations cannot be held by putting a gun to our heads.”
“This gun is a minority [SC] decision, that is being forced upon us,” he continued.
In an effort to resolve the current political impasse, a three-person team composed of Bilawal, Gilani, and Kaira has been meeting with the heads of the ruling coalition parties.
The CJP had invited political leaders to undertake discussions on Wednesday while hearing a petition for holding general elections for the National and provincial legislatures concurrently across the nation.
“How can I convince our allies to negotiate so long as this SC decision stands, so long as this gun is to our heads?” Reporters, as Bilawal put it.
Under the threat of a “gun,” he said, negotiations would fail.
The present situation was sparked by PTI chairman and ousted premier Imran Khan’s decision to call for hasty elections by dissolving the provincial assemblies in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where his party was in control.
Despite the PTI’s efforts, the ruling coalition was unable to change course.
On Imran’s orders, the provincial governments of both provinces dissolved their legislatures in January.
The election deadline under the Constitution was set at 90 days, but the federal administration was hesitant to schedule elections.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan took “suo motu” notice (on its own initiative) of the delay in March and directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold elections in Punjab and K-P.
The ECP originally scheduled elections for April 30, but then moved them to October 8.
After hearing a plea from the PTI that argued the election should be held on May 14, the Supreme Court once again postponed it.
Parliament’s refusal to pay for the elections, however, further exacerbated the problem.
Since four of the seven-judge panel had rejected the suo motu notice, the ruling coalition had argued that the SC’s order did not stand. The Supreme Court is currently considering the case, and a three-judge panel has suggested holding political talks to find a solution.
According to Bilawal, there is a plot to impose elections on the people of Punjab.
He cautioned that the “stubbornness” of some forces may damage national politics if early elections were scheduled in any region, notably Punjab.
Under the pretence of a 90-day deadline, there is a plot to force an election in Punjab. This is a covert plot to restore One Unit, the government structure in place throughout the ’50s and ’60s.Yesterday, as it is today, we are against the One Unit, he said.
The PPP chairman further claimed that parliament had unanimously obligated the government to carry out the SC’s 4-3 judgement.
“As far as implementation of the court decision is concerned, we are implementing the majority decision of four judges,” he said.
Elections for the National Assembly and all provincial legislatures should be conducted on the same day, Bilawal said, reiterating the position of the current coalition administration.
The PPP chairman responded to questions about his efforts to engage the opposition in political discussion by saying that he was working to unify his coalition.
“We understand that if we do not find a solution to problems, it will threaten democracy and the federation,” he said.
We are continuing our efforts to reach an agreement. We’ve done our best in the past, and we’re doing it again right now. After Eidul Fitr, there will be a coalition party summit. He elaborated, saying, “Our position has been that elections should be held on schedule.
President of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and leader of the Jamaat-ud-Dawat-ul-Fazl (JUI-F), Maulana Fazlur Rehman, made these comments to the media in Peshawar: “First we were asked to negotiate in front of a gun, and today we are told to negotiate in front of a hammer,” alluding to the CJP’s gavel.
Why should Imran, the leader of a party that has been in the forefront of refusing to deal with the PTI to demonstrate its lack of trust in Imran, go before a court in which the parliament has expressed no confidence?, said the head of the JUI-F.
“The Supreme Court is trying to make Imran Khan eligible for politics,” he said.
The JUI-F leader said he didn’t think Imran was competent enough to negotiate with him when asked about the PTI.
Fazl was also perplexed as to why the highest court was now involved and unable to move off of May 14.
He then questioned, “Why is the court asking for a way now?”
He further said that the CJP, sitting in a “honourable” chair, was degrading the existing authorities.
The Supreme Court needs to be more accommodating. Why couldn’t we have some wiggle room if Imran Khan can have it?’ he questioned.
The head of the JUI-F reaffirmed that parliament was the highest authority.
He went on to say that Imran had “destroyed the country’s economy” and that the “devaluation of the rupee is no longer under our control,” referring to the currency.
Maryam Nawaz, the senior vice president of the PML-N, took her criticism of the PTI on Twitter one step further by claiming that conversations were made with political parties and not “terrorists” or “miscreants.”
Remember that!” she said.
She followed the JUI-F leader in rejecting discussions with the PTI.
Maryam and her father, former prime minister and PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, are now in Saudi Arabia to do Umrah.
Maryam’s post appears as the PPP is trying to persuade other members of the ruling coalition to begin talks with the PTI.
The PTI, however, is of the opinion that tensions inside the ruling alliance have increased.
The PDM administration avoided elections, Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi informed reporters outside the SC.
Even after appealing to the highest court, he insisted that the administration was lying about having fled.
According to Qureshi, disagreements have arisen amongst members of the ruling coalition, and the head of the JUI-F has refused to meet with Bilawal.
It’s worth noting that Bilawal paid a visit to Fazl in Dera Ismail Khan the day before, trying to persuade him to negotiate with the PTI.
For the first time, “the rifts between the ruling coalition have come to the forefront for the whole nation to witness,” as Qureshi put it.
According to the top PTI politician, the Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing of the polls delay petition for April 27.
According to Qureshi, the coalition government has acknowledged that it accepts the SC’s decision.
He went on to say that his party had agreed to having elections across the nation on the same day when the present authorities proposed holding negotiations with the PTI about doing so.
The head of the PTI insisted that his party was open to talks with the government within the Constitution’s parameters.
