The ball is in parliamentary committees’ court now

Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Leader of the Opposition Nisar Ali Khan on Tuesday again failed to agree on a credible person to be tasked with conducting free, fair and transparent election and run the affairs of the country for next three months, leaving the matter for decision by an eight-member parliamentary committee formed by the National Assembly speaker.

President Asif Ali Zardari also decided on Tuesday to hold general elections from May 9 to May 11 and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) also conveyed to the PML-N its eagerness to hold the general elections between May 9 and May 11, as well as its willingness to withdraw its previous nominations for the caretaker PM and fielding new ones.

However, no response from the PML-N had been received until the filing of this report.

A stern position taken by the PML-N leadership over its nominees for the slot of caretaker PM has moved the issue towards the parliamentary committee, as a notification by the NA speaker said the body was set to meet today (Wednesday) afternoon to decide the matter.

“A meeting of the committee on appointment of the caretaker prime minister will be held on March 20, 2013 at 2:30pm at Parliament House, Islamabad to finalise the name of the caretaker prime minister,” a statement issued by the National Assembly Secretariat said.

However, neither the prime minister nor the leader of the opposition sent their formal nominations to the NA speaker by the time this report was filed, officials in the speaker’s chamber told Pakistan Today.

If the committee also cannot evolve consensus over the subject by Saturday evening, the matter would automatically go to the Election Commission of Pakistan on Sunday.

NA Speaker Fehmida Mirza constituted the committee in pursuance of clause (1) of Article 224A of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

The Committee will comprise of Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah, Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Senator Farooq H Naik, Senator Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan, Senator Pervaiz Rasheed, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, and Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan Nasir.

However, the two major opposition parties – Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) – have objected to the formation of the committee and said that their leadership had not been taken onboard over the issue.

Under the constitution, the parliamentary committee has to evolve a consensus on one name for caretaker prime minister within three days and if it fails to do so in the stipulated time, the matter will automatically go to the Election Commission, which will have to finalise one name out of four, two each from the prime minister and the opposition leader in the NA.

The development was followed by a meeting of PPP leaders. Chaired by Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, the meeting ended with the party unwilling to compromise on the names of its nominees for caretaker prime minister.

Earlier in the day, the PPP and the PML-N held exclusive meetings in the capital and Lahore to discuss their strategies.

Senior PPP leader Khurhsid Ahmed Shah met PML-N leader Senator Ishaq Dar and suggested May 9 as the election date to the opposition and also proposed withdrawing the previous nominated names for caretaker PM and fielding new ones.

A source in the PPP said Shah and Dar discussed the dissolution of Punjab Assembly and names for caretaker PM and chief minister in Punjab.

The PPP leader told the opposition leader that the government was willing to show flexibility on the caretaker PM to end the deadlock.

Dar hoped that issues would be resolved amicably after PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif returned home from abroad.

The ruling quarters have taken the opposition into confidence over holding general elections on May 9, and consultation was underway in this regard, the source said.

Dar also assured the PPP leader that there would be no problem regarding the dissolution of Punjab Assembly and the same would be dissolved in a day or two.

Talking to reporters after the meeting‚ the PPP and PML-N leaders dismissed the impression about any deadlock between the government and the opposition in this regard. They hoped that issues would be resolved amicably after Nawaz returned home.

Later, the prime minister chaired a meeting of the PPP leadership that was attended by former PM Yousaf Raza Gilani, Khurshid Ahmed Shah, Hina Rabbani Khar, Farooq Naik, Nazar Mohammad Gondal, Mian Manzoor Wattoo, Anwar Saifullah Khan and others.

During the meeting, Shah briefed the PPP leadership on his meeting with Dar.

The meeting resolved that since the PML-N leadership was adamant on its stand, the PPP should also stick to its own.

The PML-N has been insisting that Justice (r) Nasir Aslam Zahid or Rasool Bux Palejo be picked for the position of caretaker PM, while the government backs Dr Ishrat Hussain, Abdul Hafeez Sheikh or Mir Hazar Khan Khoso for the top slot.