PM, Fazl discuss political situation
Amid the standoff over the PTI's long march and efforts to revive political dialogue, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Friday.
The prime minister discussed the overall political situation and developments in K-P, particularly the PTI march.
The Maulana also reiterated that political disputes should be resolved through dialogue and mutual understanding rather than confrontation.
According to sources, the prime minister told the religio-political leader that the federal government had made every possible effort to resolve the issues through political means.
Separately, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said handling the PTI long march was a separate matter for the federal government, while
containing rising terrorism in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa remained a distinct and more pressing challenge. He said the government's foremost priority was to control terrorism.
Speaking to senior journalists at Parliament House, the minister said the government had dealt with PTI marches in the past and had completed preparations to manage the current one. He maintained that all necessary arrangements related to the march were in place.
Chaudhry clarified that any decision to impose an emergency would not be linked to the long march itself. However, he said a lack of cooperation from the provincial government could become a factor in such a situation.
Pakistan could not afford any confrontation and needed stability, he said, stressing that effective action against terrorism in K-P required cooperation between the federal and provincial governments.
The minister said the PTI secretary-general had also spoken about preventing the loss of innocent lives, but personnel of the armed forces, police officers and ordinary citizens continued to be killed in terrorist attacks.
The government was taking steps to prevent such incidents and bring those responsible to justice, he added.
He urged the PTI leadership to cooperate with the federal government in counterterrorism efforts, saying 12 districts of K-P were severely affected by terrorism. These included eight districts in the former tribal areas and four other districts.
The minister also called into question PTI's past policies and its position on negotiations with terrorists. He questioned why the party's leadership felt secure in certain areas where the political activities of other parties were limited, remarks that amounted to political criticism of the PTI.
Regarding the possibility of Fazl playing a role in resolving the political impasse, Chaudhry said the JUI-F chief was a shrewd politician whose political importance was recognised by the government. However, he said Fazl could play an effective role only if the PTI gave him a full mandate to conduct negotiations on its behalf.
PTI seeks third round of talks
Meanwhile, PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan contacted National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to discuss the continuation of negotiations, saying a third round of talks was essential and that progress in the dialogue could help improve the situation.
Speaking to the media, Ali Muhammad Khan said the PTI wanted political tensions to ease through negotiations and all political leaders to be present in Islamabad so that the dialogue process could continue.
He said the party wanted to resolve the political tensions without bloodshed and had repeatedly offered the government a path towards negotiations.
According to Ali Muhammad Khan, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was currently in Lahore. The two would meet once the speaker returned to Islamabad, he said.
JUI-F reviews political situation
Separately, the central core committee of the JUI-F met under the chairmanship of Fazl to review the prevailing political situation in detail, particularly the various aspects of negotiations between the government and the opposition.
Fazl briefed participants on his recent meetings with opposition and government leaders and consulted them on the developments. The participants also held detailed discussions on the course of the negotiations and the broader political situation.
The meeting called for resolving the current situation through mutual understanding, stressing that the country could not afford prolonged political confrontation.
Those attending included Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, Khawaja Khalil Ahmed, Muhammad Aslam Ghauri, Senator Kamran Murtaza, Maulana Salahuddin Ayubi and Mufti Abrar, according to a statement issued by the JUI-F's central media cell.