- Jirga members disappointed over govt’s cold response to their proposal, consider dissolving Jirga, however likely to meet Khan, Qadri soon
- Bizenjo believes jirga can provide a way out, says jirga will meet on 29th
- PTI’s Asad Umar says govt wants administrative solution not political
The Parliament-authorised opposition political jirga, which was formed for facilitating the dialogue process between the government and anti-government protesters, appears to be losing steam owing to lacklustre response by the government on its proposals to end the political impasse.
A jirga member told Pakistan Today that other members had expressed their concerns over the cold shoulder given by the government over their proposal. However, the jirga has decided to hold another meeting to review whether the jirga should play a facilitator’s role or not.
With the dialogue process stalled between negotiating panels of the government and protesters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), the parliament’s representative panel had floated new proposals to address major demands of both the parties.
The jirga came up with a comprehensive set of proposals to deal with the logjam, calling for investigation into allegations of pre-election rigging, election-day rigging, post-election manipulation, role of the caretaker government in rigging, role of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the rigging and any conspiracy wherein Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) or Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif can be found guilty of the illegal practice.
However, some members of the jirga wanted the body to be dissolved as neither the government nor the opposition parties were giving any importance to the efforts of the reconciliatory body, the jirga member told Pakistan Today.
“The jirga was informed that despite contacts made with the government, no response has been received. It seems that the government has no plan to go for a political solution of the sit-ins,” he added.
The source asserted that there was no logic in meeting the leaders of PTI and PAT without any response from the prime minister.
The jirga member, however, added that it has been decided that while the premier was abroad, the jirga would try to meet Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri to know whether there was any eagerness to show flexibility in dialogue process.
BIZENJO IS HOPEFUL:
However, Senator Hasil Khan Bizenjo, another key member of the parliamentary jirga, sounded hopeful over breakthrough in the dialogue process and stressed the jirga’s importance saying, “There is no other option which can provide a breakthrough in talks other than jirga. We can provide a face saving to the three parties involved in dialogue including the government, PTI and PAT.”
Bizenjo said that the jirga meeting had decided to wait for prime minister’s return from the US. “We will meet again on September 29. Meanwhile, our team members will most likely meet PTI chief and Dr Qadri,” he added.
He also made it clear that the jirga had been mandated to facilitate dialogue process and not leading the dialogue.
THEY DON’T WANT A SOLUTION:
Speaking on the issue, PTI leader and a member of its negotiating panel, Asad Umar, told Pakistan Today that it seems that the government had decided not to pursue a “political solution” and rather it believed in an “administrative solution”.
Umar said that the jirga was playing a role of interlocutor between the protesters and government and their proposals were actually not binding on either of the parties. He said that the jirga had contacted PTI and wanted to meet Khan, which would be decided soon.
The PTI leader added that it seemed that the government was holding talks with PTI and PAT under a “false fear of any military takeover”.
“Though we had told them there was no threat of a military intervention but they did not believe us. They don’t believe in public pressure. It seems that rulers think that there is no threat to them now as the voice of the people has no value for the regime,” he added.