Deadlock persists as PTI rejects Senate committee for talks on election

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday rejected the proposal sent by the Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani on forming a 10-member special parliamentary committee to hold talks on elections.

Following the ruling alliance’s proposal to form a parliamentary committee to hold talks between the government and the opposition, Sanjrani wrote a letter to Senator Shahzad Waseem, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, seeking names of PTI members to be included in the committee.

The development came after the ruling alliance urged the Senate chairman to bridge the gap by intervening as the coalition government proposed the formation of a 10-member parliamentary committee with equal representation from both sides to end the impasse on polls.

Separately, PTI Chairman Imran Khan also formed a three-member committee to discuss the terms of talks as a Supreme Court deadline for political parties to develop a consensus on an election date ended.

PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi — speaking to media persons outside the Supreme Court — said that the party has rejected the idea floated by the ruling alliance as "this matter isn't about Senate it is about political consensus".

He said that the party has already formed its three-member committee after consultations with the party chief Imran Khan. The panel comprises Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry and Barrister Ali Zafar.

The sources earlier said that Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar and Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique contacted Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani in this regard.

“[…] a ten (10) Members Special Committee for holding Political Dialogue is being constituted under the joint convernership of the Leader of the House in the Senate and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and comprising of four (04) Members each from the Treasure and Opposition Benches,” the letter, written by Sanjrani Waseem, read.

He had assured the leader of the opposition that his office and the Senate Secretariat will remain available to assist and facilitate the committee in the performance of its functions for preserving the political system and for the betterment of the State and its citizenry.

The Senate chairman directed Waseem to provide, on the PTI's behalf, the names of four members from the opposition benches, to be made part of the committee in two days.

It may be noted that the Supreme Court on April 20 had directed the political parties to hold a dialogue in a bid to reach a consensus on the date of elections in the country, with the government stressing to hold the polls on the same day.

The government is expected to inform the apex court about the progress in the implementation of orders, in today's hearing of election suo motu matter.

On April 4, the three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial had ordered the government to hold polls in Punjab on May 14.

However, after issuing its written verdict in the previous hearing, the court held that its judgment rendered on the case of delay in the elections had already fixed May 14 as the date of election to the Punjab Assembly.