- JI’s Sirajul Haq says his party endorses PTI’s stance on electoral reforms but issue should be resolved through peaceful means
- Says JI will take a decision on participation in long march after Aug 10
- PPP’s Khurshid Shah meets Siraj, says he’s making efforts for mediating talks between PTI and govt
As the political climate heats up in wake of a ‘million-man’ march announced by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on August 14, opposition leaders on Wednesday appealed to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and PTI to try and bridge their differences through dialogue.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq affirmed his support to the PTI’s stance on electoral reforms, but stopped short of saying whether or not his party would join the PTI in the ‘Azadi’ march.
“We support Imran Khan’s demands for a transparent electoral system to be made transparent, and that complaints of elections candidates be addressed,” he said.
“All political leaders that we are in contact with want to avoid a clash and that the issue to be resolved smoothly. But we want to make it clear that the entire responsibility rests on the shoulders of the federal government,” said the JI chief.
But when asked by a reporter whether he had decided on Imran’s invitation to join the PTI on Aug 14, he said: “We have a very large programme in Islamabad in solidarity with Gaza on Aug 10, and then a ‘million’ march in Karachi. We will decide on the (PTI’s) long march after Aug 10. Right now, we are in contact with all political parties to reach a solution.”
EASING TENSIONS:
Earlier in a joint press conference held after a meeting between Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Khursheed Shah and JI chief Sirajul Haq, both leaders said they want to play a role in lowering the temperatures that have developed over the past few weeks into the current situation.
“We are in agreement that the constitution and democracy should remain intact,” Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah said.
The PPP leader said he is in contact with members of the government and will also contact Imran Khan to encourage a dialogue between the two sides.
Siraj said the meeting discussed the August 14 long march as well as the government’s attitude around it. “Resignations will not resolve any issue and that tension between these political parties will only benefit a ‘third party’,” he said.
Siraj also said that in a telephone call, former president and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari had said that a situation which may bring an end to the democratic process should be avoided.
“Imran Khan has also said that he doesn’t want to derail democracy. But the situation has given way to a bottleneck. In this situation, it is the responsibility of political leaders to find a solution.”
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