Without agreeing on a date, the PTI and the PDM-led government agreed to hold elections on the same day nationwide.
Ishaq Dar, the finance minister, indicated that everyone involved had decided to hold the polls on the same day. He also noted that the two parties had agreed to hold elections under a caretaker government.
After the talks concluded, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the party had demonstrated flexibility by agreeing to the government’s suggestion that elections be held on the same day.
He continued by saying the PTI had opted to present in court to inform the court of the proceedings and demonstrate its adaptability. “The PTI wants elections to be held on May 14 without delay in KP elections,” he continued.
He began by explaining that the PTI had attempted to reach an agreement through three separate meetings.
After saying that we both agreed that discussions shouldn’t be used as a stalling technique, he said we did. He also emphasized that “elections should be held in line with the letter and spirit of the constitution.”
We also agreed to follow through on plans if we made plans.
We offered that elections be held no more than 90 days after the assemblies were dissolved, he said, outlining the proposal made by both sides.
He said we had lengthy conversations during which we sought to agree.
Mr. Qureshi said the PTI has decided it wanted the National Assembly (NA), Balochistan Assembly (Balochistan Assembly), and Sindh Assembly (Sindh Assembly) dissolved by May 14, and elections scheduled within 60 days if this occurred. He argued that a single constitutional modification was needed to avoid a catastrophe.
He explained that the PTI had promised to have a formal agreement to present it before the SC and have the court oversee its implementation. “Elections should be open enough for people to accept the results,” he continued.
Mr. Qureshi said they did their best despite interference from journalists with ties to the administration. “Dar intervened to get our 33 workers released from jail,” he continued.
He added that we got the news about the raid on Parvez Elahi’s home after the second sitting ended, adding that the “hide and seek” game regarding the whereabouts of the lodging cases against PTI officials persisted.
Originally set to begin at 11 a.m., the meeting was pushed back to 9 p.m.
The final round of negotiations was scheduled for Tuesday, April 30, at 11 a.m., after the second round closed on April 28 with hopes of a thaw.
Repeated Discussions
It was reported that the government did not agree to the PTI’s demand to hold elections in May because doing so would be financially impossible. In addition, “the government also cited its negotiations with the IMF,” the sources said.
After the government presented the budget, the PTI suggested dissolving the National Assembly.
Sources say elections could be held in August, but only if the PTI shows flexibility.
However, sources revealed that the PTI has hinted at agreeing to the demand to hold elections in August, citing the government’s perceived openness to the idea.
According to sources, the PTI demanded that the government dissolves the National Assembly and other provincial assemblies, amend the constitution to hold general elections simultaneously, and schedule elections for July.
According to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, the meeting went well. We were able to see progress on both sides, he remarked.
After the meeting, Mr. Qureshi addressed the media and said that the topic of arrests of PTI activists was brought up at the outset. “We will travel to Lahore tomorrow and will take Mr. Khan into confidence,” he continued.
According to PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry, the organization has submitted its recommendations to the government.
He continued by saying that arrests would be counterproductive to the ongoing talks. And, “If you want matters to settle, arrests must be stopped,” he stressed. He said that PTI leader Farrukh Habib was prevented from leaving the country.
Mr. Khan’s party would only begin talks with the government if the ruling coalition were ready to quickly dissolve the legislatures and go for elections, as he had suggested in an off-the-cuff conversation with journalists during his appearance at the IHC.
Opening Negotiations
Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry, and Ali Zafar represented the PTI at the Senate Secretariat. In contrast, Mr. Dar, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ayaz Sadiq, Mr. Gilani, Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, Kishwar Zahra, and Muhammad Abubakr represented the government.
According to insiders, the PTI had pushed for the dissolution of the NA, as the party intended the lower house to be disbanded by the end of July at the latest.
Mr. Qureshi told reporters that political issues may be resolved with the right motivations. He stated that the PTI was eager to advance with the betterment of the country as its primary goal.
He continued by saying that the government required more deliberation. We encouraged them to take some time and then present us with a proposal,” he continued.
According to Mr. Gilani, “We would take a final decision after taking all the parties on board,” He also noted that the talks had been productive.
“We have no demands,” Mr. Dar stated.
It was decided that negotiations between the PTI and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would begin on Thursday.
According to the sources, the JUI-F will not participate in the talks.
In time, Senator Ali Zafar and Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar also met.