ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) and the government on Friday exchanged proposals to break the political deadlock in the country, agreeing to resume their dialogue next week as both sides attempt to form consensus on a date for upcoming elections in the country.
The development took place after a three-member PTI negotiating team resumed talks with the government to break the impasse over elections for the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies, which were dissolved by Khan’s party and its allies in January to force Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition administration to hold early national elections.
As per the constitution, elections are required to be held within 90 days after the dissolution of an assembly. However, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) delayed the polls last month, citing security and financial reasons, while the PTI went to the Supreme Court to challenge the decision.
After hearing the case, the top court fixed May 14 as the date to hold elections in Punjab, ordering the country’s central bank to provide funds amounting to Rs21 billion to the election regulator for the polls.
However, the government maintains the judiciary is undermining parliament’s authority. Negotiations between the PTI and the government began on Thursday while a second round of talks were held on Friday.
“We have made progress,” Finance Minister Ishaq Dar told reporters after the meeting, adding that both sides have tabled proposals. Dar said the two parties would now turn to their respective leaderships for input on the discussions.
Senior PTI leader, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, told reporters that his delegation conveyed the party’s stance which he said would remain within the ambit of the constitution.
“We have conveyed our proposals,” Hussain confirmed, hoping that the deadlock would be resolved by Tuesday when both sides resume talks.
Hussain, however, expressed reservations over the arrest of PTI supporters by the government, saying the move could “derail the whole process.”
Before talks were held earlier in the day, Hussain urged the government to dissolve the national and two provincial assemblies before June to hold simultaneous elections across the country.
“We want them [the government] to dissolve [all the] assemblies before the budget on June 5 for elections to be held on the same day,” he told foreign media reporters.
Hussain was also accompanied by Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who served as foreign minister in Khan’s administration.
“This government is trying to come up with a political budget [in June], so that the next government defaults,” he said, adding that parliament had no authority to reject the election funds as 75 percent of Pakistan remained unrepresented after the dissolution of the Punjab and KP assemblies.