Ready for 'give and take' to resolve crisis: PM Nawaz
05 September, 2014
LAHORE: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Thursday that he appreciates the efforts of the opposition-held jirga to resolve the political crisis and said that he was ready to for a give and take in order o resolve the ongoing crisis.
The government wants more time to legislate laws for electoral reforms and thinks PTI's demand to complete the whole process by a legal experts committee which is to come to being through a presidential ordinance will be an exercise in haste, the secret government's reply to PTI's draft proposal says.
The government also wants the PTI to be more specific on the terms of reference as well as the ambit of investigation (number of National Assembly constituencies) that the proposed Supreme Court Commission will undertake under an agreement with the PTI, our sources has learnt reliably.
The PTI wants the Supreme Court Commission as well as the election reforms to be completed within 30 days. Senior Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday delivered PML-N legal team's draft reply and workable proposals to the PTI leadership in a bid to end the prevailing political impasse. PTI has sought 24 hours time to ponder over the government's reply, a federal government spokesman said. This was done after a lengthy meeting of the JI chief Sirajul Haq-led jirga of parliamentarians and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif again met army chief General Raheel Sharif in Rawalpindi to discuss the prevailing political scenario and the federal government's efforts to resolve it through talks.
Sources said the PTI and PAT leaderships have also been conveyed from military establishment's quarters to restore order at the Constitution Avenue where they have been camping for the last two weeks. The two parties have been asked to rather shift to the D-Chowk area in light of the apex court's orders, the sources said.
Earlier in the day, the government, after taking all parliamentary party leaders into confidence, had finalised a detailed reply to the leadership of PTI, in response to their draft proposals to address the prevailing political impasse. Interestingly, the demand of PTI and PAT that prime minister and Punjab chief minister should resign did not come under discussion in the meeting between the PM and parliamentary leaders of the National Assembly and Senate earlier on Thursday
Those who attended the meeting include leader of opposition in Senate Aitzaz Ahsan, Mian Raza Rabbani, leader of opposition in National Assembly Khursheed Shah, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party's leader Mehmood Achakzai, Qaumi Watan Party's Aftab Sherpao, Ijazul Haq of Muslim League (Zia), Balochistan National Party's leader Hasil Bazinjo, and MNAs GG Jamal and Sahibzada Tariqullah (Jamaat-e-Islami). Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, Science and Technology Minister Zahid Hamid and Minister for Textile Industry Abbas Khan Afridi.
Talking to the parliamentarians, PM Nawaz urged all political forces in parliament to join hands to protect people's mandate and democracy, adding that the House would uphold the supremacy of the constitution and democracy. Parliamentarians said all political parties in parliament were committed for the rule of law and supremacy of the constitution. PPP Senator Rehman Malik was also present in the meeting with the PM.
JI chief Sirajul Haq stressed that the government, PTI and the PAT should understand the ground realities and show flexibility in their attitude. He said that the nation earnestly desires that not only the current crisis should come to an end but the future crises should be averted so that the country could continue its journey on the road to progress and stability. Rehman Malik said that the deadlock between the government and protesting forces had ended and the nation would get good news in two to three days.
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