PPP playing devil’s advocate in PML-N, PTI tiff

• NA Opp leader phones PM, offers to mediate between PML-N and PTI
• Sharif tells Shah ministers will approach him over matter, says PTI has been given good representation in reforms committee
• NA finalises 22 names for electoral reforms committee; Alvi, Mazari, Mahmood to represent PTI

Pakistan Today has learnt that National Assembly (NA) Opposition Leader Syed Khurshid Shah has offered Pakistan People’s Party’s mediation for normalisation of ties between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), urging Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to adopt confidence-building measures (CBMs) to address PTI’s reservations over rigging in last year’s general elections.

In a telephonic conversation with the premier, Shah on Saturday told Sharif that his party could play the role of an “interlocutor” between the parties if the government was ready to take some necessary steps to restore Imran Khan’s confidence.

Last week, Shah had told journalists that his party leadership was concerned over rising temperatures between the PML-N government and PTI, saying that he would contact Sharif for mediation.

A well-placed source in the PPP told Pakistan Today that Shah urged the premier to engage the opposition in dialogue and offered PPP’s help as the party had “always worked for strengthening democracy”. The source said that Sharif thanked Shah for the offer, assuring the PPP leader that some ministers would soon contact him for rapprochement with PTI.

“He [prime minister] said that the government had already put the process of parliamentary reforms on a fast track and the parliamentary committee had been notified to prepare parliamentary framework for reforms in electoral system,” the source said, adding that Sharif told Shah that PTI had been given a “reasonably good representation” in the parliamentary committee.

22-MEMBER ELECTORAL REFORMS COMMITTEE FINALIZED:

Meanwhile, in order to push the electoral reforms agenda, NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq finalised a 22-member parliamentary committee for electoral reforms.

The PPP nominees include Shazia Marri and Naveed Qamar, while from PTI, Shafqat Mahmood, Dr Arif Alvi and Dr Shireen Mazari would be the committee members.

Federal ministers Zahid Hamid and Abdul Qadir Baloch and State Minister Anusha Rehman would represent the government. Three members are from Muttahida Qoumi Movement (MQM) while one member from each party having representation in the parliament is included. The notification of the formation of the Electoral Reforms Committee will be issued after the Senate chairman appoints its 11 members.

PPP WORKING ITS WAY FOR ‘DEMOCRACY’:

Speaking about electoral reforms and PTI-PML-N truce measures, PPP South Punjab Senior Vice President Haider Zaman Qureshi told Pakistan Today that his party was in touch with both the parties as it believed in protecting the democratic process.

For attaining PPP’s help, Qureshi however stressed that PML-N would have to do away with the “arrogant attitude” of some of its ministers who were “witch-hunting” PPP leaders.

PPP-PTI COMING CLOSER:

The PPP leader said that informal in-house deliberations had also started over PTI’s invitation for Azadi March on August 14.

Answering a question, he said that PPP and PTI could come closer on national issues if PML-N failed to adopt a reconciliatory approach with PTI.

“You may see soon that PPP and PTI would become more vocal on public issues and joint moves may be the course for both the opposition parties,” he added.

ISSUES BETWEEN PPP-PML-N:

The PPP leader said that the party leadership was concerned over price hike and load shedding while Model Town massacre was another issue which was a major hurdle in normalisation of relations between PPP and PML-N.

“PPP Punjab would take a strong stance on public issues and it would go all-guns-blazing against the Punjab government which was using police force as its personal guards to victimise its political opponents,” he said, adding that PPP Punjab could also take to the streets against poor performance of the Punjab government.

Despite repeated efforts, no PML-N leader or staff of the Prime Minister’s House was available to confirm the political development.