- Five-member committee formed to consider constitutional, legal aspects of PTI, PAT demands
- Govt, opposition leaders oppose PTI’s demand for a council to supervise Judicial Commission’s work on votes verification
- Parliamentarians disapprove of PTI’s demand to dissolve Parliament if rigging found in 30 seats
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s allied and opposition parties’ leaders have formed a five-member committee to consider legal and constitutional aspects of issues pertaining to negotiations with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) in the backdrop of their prolonged sit-ins in the capital.
The committee comprises parliamentarians Ishaq Dar, Zahid Hamid, Aitzaz Ahsan, Mian Raza Rabbani and Attorney General Salman Butt.
The parliamentary leaders who met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at his parliament chambers Wednesday disapproved of PTI’s Terms of Reference (ToRs) for the judicial commission proposed to investigate the alleged rigging in last year’s election.
Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Federal Minister for Science and Technology Zahid Hamid briefed the parliamentarians on the details of dialogue with the protesting parties.
Dar said that PTI was “illegally” insisting that a high-powered council be formed to supervise the working of Supreme Court’s commission. The minister said that PTI had demanded that the commission should not take more than a month to complete its report and if rigging was proved in 30 constituencies, the general elections be declared as null and void.
The minister said that the government was ready to accept five out of six conditions of PTI but the demand for resignation of the prime minister or his going on leave would not be accepted under any circumstances while PTI was insisting on it.
The finance minister said he will convey the decision of the government and other parties to the PTI in writing.
On this occasion, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders Aitzaz Ahsan and Mian Raza Rabbani said that the proposals about TORs for the judicial commission were “unacceptable and not admissible” under the Constitution and the law. They said that such proposals would not be acceptable to the apex court.
Sources said that Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F)’s Fazlur Rehman and Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP)’s head Mahmood Khan Achakzai suggested that the government should adopt a strict stance to end the sit-ins.
Other leaders however suggested the prime minister to continue the dialogue process and not adopt a hard stance which might lead to an untoward situation.
Moreover, the meeting decided to adjourn the Parliament’s joint session for a week to concentrate on relief activities in the flood affected areas.
