Cracks within the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have widened over holding talks with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) committee to decide on the simultaneous dissolution of the national and provincial assemblies and installation of the caretaker setup, as a group headed by party president Nawaz Sharif wants to hold the talks, while another led by Shahbaz Sharif does not want to dissolve the Punjab Assembly before April 18, the date of expiry of its tenure.
A well-placed source in the PML-N told Pakistan Today that National Assembly’s term would mature on March 16, while the Punjab Assembly’s term would mature on April 18.
However, under pressure from Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Dr Tahirul Qadri’s long march, the PPP leadership wanted to dissolve the national and provincial assemblies simultaneously on March 16 to facilitate holding the general elections on the same day.
Nawaz, supported by Senator Ishaq Dar and others, wants to facilitate the PPP leadership that is already facing a crises-like situation due to successive bomb blasts and the long march call by Dr Qadri.
“However, Shahbaz Sharif and Nisar Ali Khan want the Punjab Assembly to complete its term so that the gigantic development projects launched across the province can be completed to help the party win the upcoming election,” the source said.
“Following a flat refusal by Nisar Ali Khan to hold talks with the four-member committee formed by President Asif Ali Zardari for holding negotiations with the PML-N over the dissolution of assemblies and installing a consensus caretaker setup, Nawaz Sharif has tasked Ishaq Dar to hold talks with the government’s negotiators,” he added.
Senator Dar has been involved in covert talks with the government’s team and has played a key role in facilitating the PPP leadership in backchannel communications with the senior Sharif.
Pakistan Today had already informed its readers about covert talks between the two sides through Senator Dar on August 5, 2012 over the caretaker setup.
NISAR REJECTS TALKS:
Nisar had refused to talk to the government’s negotiators stating that such an act would be tantamount to a violation of the 20th constitutional amendment, the source added.
“Nisar says that under the constitution, the leader of the House would hold talks with leader of the opposition for caretaker setup. However, if the party leadership wanted to adopt an unconstitutional request by the PPP leadership, he would not be a part of it,” the source added.
He said Nisar believed that as the opposition leader in National Assembly, he could not hold dialogue with a committee constituted to discuss formation of caretaker government and forthcoming elections and he would discuss the matter with the leader of the House only.
“Nisar was also of the view that under the 20th constitutional amendment, the opposition leader can only hold talks with the prime minister for the appointment of caretaker prime minister.”
The source said Nawaz Sharif had tasked Ishaq Dar with talking to the government’s four-member negotiating team comprising Syed Khursheed Shah, Mian Raza Rabbani, Farooq H Naik and Nazar Mohammad Gondal.
The source said Mian Raza Rabbani, one of the four members of the committee, had contacted Ishaq Dar. However, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif refused to hold dialogue without any agenda when Dar contacted the top leadership of his party.
Shahbaz had said the federal government wanted to get political mileage from the Punjab government by asking it curb Dr Qadri’s long march.
The source added that there was no possibility of immediate dialogue between the PPP and PML-N, as Shahbaz was adamant and Nisar’s refusal also reflected the same.
The cabinet committee would have to announce its agenda before holding any dialogue, the source said.
However, he added that Nawaz had also communicated to the PPP that any talks would be futile without a proper agenda.
PML-N spokesman Asim Khan strongly rejected the notion of any internal rifts in his party, claiming that there was total unanimity within his party to resolve all matters with the PPP through talks.
“We would have to see how we can facilitate the Election Commission for holding free and fair elections. We want an end to uncertainty so that elections could be held at the earliest and the elected representatives of the nation could take the matters in their hands,” he added.
