Govt-PPP deadlock on military courts persists

By Asim Yasin

March 14, 2017

ISLAMABAD: The deadlock between the government and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on the issue of an extension in military courts still persists as both are sticking to their stance.

The government team comprising Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar and Law Minister Zahid Hamid and the PPP team comprising Opposition Leader in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan, Senator Farooq H Naek and Senator Sherry Rehman held negotiations on the draft constitutional bill moved by the government in the National Assembly for an extension in the military courts.

The PPP stuck to its demand that their nine-point proposals be made part of the constitutional amendment with fixing the tenure of military courts to one year instead of two years.However, the government team was of the opinion that one year instead of two years.

However, the government team was of the opinion that two of their proposals out of nine were already part of the constitutional bill and there was consensus among all the political parties expect PPP on the two-year extension in the military courts.

“There is still deadlock between the PPP and the government however both have agreed to hold another round of dialogue on Tuesday,” said Aitzaz Ahsan while talking to the newsmen after the dialogue with the government.

Aitzaz Ahsan said there was wrong impression that the PPP had withdrawn its two proposals out of nine but the PPP stuck to its nine-point proposals. “If there were an agreement between the government and PPP, it would have been a package deal,” he said without elaborating the package deal.

He said the PPP wanted that the citizens and accused should be given protection under the law. “If the PPP nine-point proposals were not accepted, the options of opposing the constitutional amendment in the Parliament, not to vote it and to abstain is still open for the PPP,” he said. In reply to a question, Aitzaz Ahsan said that the negotiations between the government and the PPP did not have any link with the SC verdict in the PanamaLeaks case.