PTI seeks to build bridges ahead of elections

Party decides to initiate dialogue with political parties

ISLAMABAD:

Days after it reached out to JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday decided to establish a channel of communication with other political parties -- an apparent softening of the embattled party’s combative strategy in the run-up to the highly anticipated elections.

The sub-committee on political affairs of the PTI core committee discussed the current political situation in the country and various aspects of political strategy threadbare.

A party statement noted that the committee also gave the finishing touches to a strategy to hold contacts with various political parties to be started next week.

The decision falls hot on the heels of the party leadership’s recent outreach to the JUI-F emir after its incarcerated leader gave his blessings for initiating a political dialogue with the political forces -- in hopes that the exercise would help it get level-playing field in the general elections scheduled for January 2024.

Noting an apparent departure, observers pointed out that the PTI, which has largely remained at loggerheads with other political parties until the recent past and hardly settled for anything less than denouncing its opponents as thieves, looters, corrupts and traitors, seems to have realised that its crucial to keep in touch with other political parties.

During the meeting, the political committee also discussed in detail the schedule regarding contacts with other political parties to be started from next week, which was also finalised.Meeting with PPPSources in the party said that the next meeting would possibly be with the leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), especially, after the latter gave a statement that favoured the PTI.

Read More: Thaw in PTI and JUI-F relations

In a significant development seen as an initial truce in Pakistan’s often turbulent political landscape, PTI’s political subcommittee announced its support for what it described as the “right thinking” expressed by a “responsible personality” from the PPP.

This statement pertained to the challenge to the legitimacy of election outcomes in the likely absence of PTI’s involvement in the process.

The party statement said that the committee reviewed the various statements of political parties’ leadership, especially, from PPP about the level-playing field and PTI’s participation in the election process.

The committee was of the view that “the statement of a PPP’s responsible leader that the elections without the participation of the PTI would not be acceptable reflected right political thinking.”

In the meeting with the JUI-F chief, PTI leaders had also lauded Maulana Fazl’s statement that his opponent’s hands shouldn’t be tied and all political parties should have a level playing field, saying adopting a reconciliatory tone was necessary to move ahead.

PTI’s political committee termed the demand from the country’s different political parties to provide equal opportunities to all political parties for free, fair, impartial and transparent elections as a positive trend.

Read More: PPP, PML-N in slugfest as romance ends

They said that PTI was the country’s largest and most popular political force in all federal units, therefore, any attempt to exclude any political party, including PTI from the election process artificially and unnaturally through any unconstitutional and undemocratic plan under the “London Agreement” would have very disastrous consequences for democracy.

The participants of the meeting stressed the need for immediately issuing PTI’s electoral symbol of "bat" because it was essential for the credibility and transparency of the elections.

The committee underlined that PTI would welcome every positive role played in ensuring the conduct of free, fair, transparent and immediate elections.

Generally, PTI leader Barrister Saif recently told The Express Tribune that Khan has given a nod to meet different political parties and left things up to the core committee to decide further, saying the party now feels that political issues could be settled peacefully without resorting to adopting harsh tone against the opponents.