PML-N holds consultation over talks

Tarar denies but SAPM Malik admits that a special meeting did take place at PM’s residence

LAHORE:

 

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday presided over a meeting at his residence with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders to chalk out his party’s position for the next round of talks with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) discussion slated for Tuesday.

Despite a botched raid at PTI President Parvez Elahi’s residence that drew condemnation from left, right and centre, PTI chief Imran Khan has announced that his party would attend the next meeting, kindling hopes of a political breakthrough.

Imran reiterated his demand of either dissolving the remaining assemblies before May 14—a date set by the apex court for holding elections for the Punjab Assembly— to send the country towards simultaneous elections.

The PML-N also stood its ground, saying that it will not concede to one person’s demand of holding elections at his whims, claiming that doing so would erode public confidence in the electoral system.

Prime Minister Shehbaz met his party leaders at his residence to deliberate on the issue, said Special Assistant to the PM Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan.
The actual number of participants remained a mystery but almost all media houses reported that PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif—who has been living in London—as well as PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar attended the meeting via video-link.

Senior party leaders—Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Muhammad Ahmad Khan and Ataullah Tarar—also attended the moot. Tarar, however, denied these media reports, terming them fabricated.

Talking to The Express Tribune, he said routine meetings took place at PM Shehbaz’s personal residence but Nawaz Sharif did not attend any meeting.
Talking to the media before the in-question meeting that was denied by the party’s deputy general secretary, SAPM Malik said they would discuss the ongoing political situation. He said the parleys between government and opposition will only bear fruit if sanity is allowed to prevail.

He also said they will not accept one person's demand of pushing the country into elections. “Accepting his (Imran Khan) demand would mean eroding public confidence in the electoral system of the country.”

Referring to the article of the Constitution that talks about holding elections within 90 days, he said just one article of the Constitution cannot be read in isolation, rather it has to be read with the overall scheme of things.

The SAPM said that Article 224 talks about caretaker governments throughout the country. He said the only way forward is to rectify the mistakes of the past. He added that the court needs to correct the wrongs done during a case pertaining to article 63A.

Regarding the raid at Elahi residence, he said that these raids have been going on for six years. “They were not justified then and they are not justified now.” He also said the raid on Elahi’s residence should not become a reason for any new deadlock.

Tarar said various options were under discussion, which also include holding simultaneous elections ahead of time. When asked about many parties in the alliance being not ready to consider the option of early elections, Tarar said he was not fully aware of his party’s position on the issue.