Govt, protesters “have very little time”: Sirajul Haq

The JI ameer said China, Iran and other neighbours have also expressed their concerns over the crisis.

KARACHI: Speaking right after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Khawaja Saad Rafique in today’s National Assembly session, Jamaat-i-Islami ameer Sirajul Haq urged all parties to resolve their dispute in an amicable manner, saying that “they have very little time.”

Speaking to the media in Lahore, Haq was conciliatory in tone, crediting all side for both their arguments and their conduct.

“Election reforms is a demand of all political parties at the moment. For this reason, I thank PTI for pushing this point,” he said.

“Still, the only point of the government is that all parties should move forward under the purview of the constitution. If the Supreme Court declares that rigging did indeed take place, than the government will have no defence. But then it requires everyone to wait for the court’s decision, and abide by it once it is declared.”

Sirajul Haq has been mediating the government’s and protester’s competing claims over the legitimacy of last year’s parliamentary elections, and consequently, the Nawaz-led government since. While talks between the government and both PTI and PAT have begun, they have shown few results.

Amid the impasse, Sirajul Haq stressed the urgency of the matter, citing concern coming in from China and Iran, among others. “Neighboring countries have also made their concerns known. I request both parties to speak to each other and solve their differences amicably. They have very little time.”

“I don’t want the people who are at the sit-in to go home empty-handed,” he said, hinting Nawaz to grant some sort of concession to the protesters.