ISLAMABAD: The coalition government of PDM and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are set to hold a final round of negotiations tonight to resolve the impasse over the date of general elections across the country.
Despite feeling “hopeless”, PTI’s Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that he “will sit at the negotiation table with good intentions”. Qureshi accused Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of trying to “sabotage” the talks on the elections date, claiming that it was PTI which was showing flexibility.
However, the government has already deemed Imran Khan’s demand for the dissolution of the National Assembly and Sindh and Balochistan provincial assemblies by May 14 “impractical,” while PTI has not shown flexibility in this regard.
The Supreme Court has also urged the political forces to negotiate and find a solution to the prevailing political turmoil.
PTI’s decisions and moves in national interest: Qureshi
Qureshi warned that if the Constitution is not followed, the federation will disintegrate, adding that one group is attacking it by refusing to comply with it.
He accused the PDM government of having personal interests and claimed that the PTI’s decisions and moves were in the national interest. Qureshi also criticized Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s “childish” speech delivered last week, alleging that he was threatening the judges.
Bilawal had suggested the initiation of “contempt of parliament proceedings” against the Supreme Court judges, criticizing the apex court’s directives regarding the release of funds for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Qureshi has sought a “clear response” from the PDM-led coalition government and warned of taking to the streets if negotiations ended up being an “exercise in futility.”
The political tensions and lack of progress in the negotiations have fueled the concerns of political instability and uncertainty in the country.
