PTI crafts plan in case talks with govt fall through

Fawad says party will stage nationwide protests in case it doesn’t reach consensus with rulers on polls date

ISLAMABAD:

PTI senior leader Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday said his party wanted its negotiations with the government on when to hold the elections to succeed but had a strategy in place in case the talks failed.

“It is not possible that the Constitution is considered as a piece of garbage, the people as insects and the PTI sits silently,” the former federal information minister wrote on Twitter.

تحریک انصاف مذاکرات کی کامیابی چاہتی ہے لیکن ناکامی کی صورت میں حکمت عملی مرتب کرلی ہے، یہ نہیں ہو سکتا کہ آئین کو ردی کا ٹکڑا اور عوام کو کیڑے مکوڑے سمجھ لیا جائے اور تحریک انصاف خاموش بیٹھ جائے مذاکرات کی ناکامی کی صورت میں عوام بڑی تحریک کیلئے تیار ہو جائیں، تحریک کا آغاز کل…

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) April 30, 2023

He called on the people to prepare “for a movement”.

“Get ready for the movement. The movement is starting tomorrow [on Monday] with rallies in Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar, culminating in a historic long march,” he added.

After months of political bickering, the ruling coalition and PTI leaders sat across the table for talks on April 27 that had rekindled hopes for breaking the ongoing political and constitutional impasse in the country.

In the first formal interaction since the removal of former prime minister Imran Khan from power through a vote of no-confidence in April last year, leaders of the coalition parties and the PTI met at the Parliament House.

Both sides contemplated on developing a consensus on simultaneously holding general elections across the country.

The efforts to find common ground through dialogue continued on April 28 as not only the talks remained on track but the leaders of both sides refused to let their differences come in the way of forging a consensus on general elections.

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During the discussions, the PTI sought an early date for the dissolution of the National Assembly and the remaining two provincial assemblies -- Sindh and Balochistan -- so that elections could be called on a single day in July this year.

The government, however, said it should be allowed to complete its constitutional term, adding that the elections could be held in August or September.

It had sought time for seeking an opinion of the allied parties’ leadership by Tuesday.

Among other demands, the PTI wants the government not to present the budget but the latter is insisting on it.

A day earlier, PTI chief Imran presented the party’s plan of holding rallies.

He said on Monday (today), his party would start its rally from Lahore.

He added that he would personally lead the rally in Lahore.

“I will start the Lahore rally from Liberty and will walk till Nasir Bagh,” the PTI chief said on Saturday.

میں اپنی ساری قوم کو پیغام دےرہا ہوں، یکم مئی بروز سوموار، لیبرڈے ہے، اسلام آباد، پشاور اور لاہور میں ہم اپنے مزدوروں کیلئے دوپہر 1بجے ریلی نِکالیں گے، لاہور ریلی کی قیادت میں خود کرونگا، ریلی کا دوسرا مقصد ہے آئین بچاؤ، پاکستان بچاؤ!
چیئرمین عمران خان
pic.twitter.com/Arn2R4jScW

— PTI (@PTIofficial) April 30, 2023

He continued that simultaneously, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi and senior leader Pervez Khattak would lead rallies from Islamabad and Peshawar, respectively.