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Friday March 29, 2024

Meet Bilawal’s demands to end impasse, PPP tells govt

By Asim Yasin
October 26, 2016

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party on Tuesday night told the government that meeting the four demands of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was a viable roadmap for ending the current political impasse developed due to the oncoming PTI dharna.

A government delegation led by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique and Port and Shipping Minister Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo held a meeting with Opposition leaders in the Senate and the National Assembly  Aitzaz Ahsan and Khursheed Shah      and Qamar Zaman Kaira o the residence of Khursheed Shah late on Tuesday night to discuss the November 2 PTI Dharna and opposition ToRs to probe the Panama Leaks.

In the meeting, the PPP asked the government to announce effective measures like endorsing the opposition-sponsored bill in the Senate to take an inquiry into the Panama Papers to its logical conclusion. According to sources, the PPP also asked the government delegation that the government should convene a meeting of the Senate Committee on Law and Justice to pass the bill so that it could be moved to the Senate. The sources said the PPP told the government delegation that Bilawal Bhutto had placed four demands before the government and if the government wanted to end the political deadlock, the demands should be met. 

The PPP has already announced staying away from the PTI Dharna and, at the same time, is not ready to support the government. The PML-N delegation told the PPP leaders they would discuss their four-point roadmap with their top leadership and approach them again. The PPP leaders said the PPP view was clear on the November 2 Dharna as holding demonstrations was a democratic right of all political parties but blockading a city and shutting government business was illegal. They said the PPP did not support such an extreme step.

It is to be mentioned here that the PPP four demands are: reconstituting a parliamentary committee on national security, passing the Panama bill drafted by the PPP, implementing a resolution regarding the CPEC and immediately appointing a foreign minister.