ISLAMABAD, Oct 25: A meeting of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) here on Friday, on the formation of government remained inconclusive.
One of the major points of contention, as Chaudhary Shujaat put it, was that while the MMA stuck to its candidate for prime minister’s slot, the PML-Q stressed on the prevalence of democratic norms, which gives it an edge in numerical strength in the National Assembly.
Two sides held a two-hour long talks. Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain, parliamentary leader of the PML-Q, was heading his team comprising Lt-Gen Majeed Malik (Rtd), Syed Iftikhar Gilani and Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali while MMA President Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani was leading his team comprising Liaqat Baloch and Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri.
Inside sources said the two sides had discussed a package on the basis of some give-and-take in terms of constitutional package, LFO and share in power.
It was the first meeting after the MMA upgraded its negotiation committee headed by Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani.
Later, talking to newsmen, Chaudhry Shujaat and Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani termed the meeting positive, but refrained from giving details.
Noorani said: “Both sides discussed in a cordial atmosphere formation of governments in the Centre and four provinces, besides convening of the assembly session, and decided to resume talks at the earliest.”
He said that no conditions except for the MMA’s candidature for the prime minister’s office was under discussion, and “as we go ahead, we can talk about other issues as well. He, however, said: “There is a package which we both are deliberating upon and will continue the discussion unless we arrive at a logical conclusion”.
In reply to a question, Chaudhry Shujaat said: “We will soon reach at a consensus and will shut the doors of speculation by practicable understanding with each others.”
He reiterated the stance that the party would nominate its prime ministerial candidate after the announcement of election schedule for women reserved seats.
Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani told a questioner that the purpose of holding talks with the PML-Q was to save the democracy from another crisis, and in this pursuit if we held talk with the so-called King’s party, there was nothing wrong in it.
Shujaat told the newsmen that the MMA was sticking to its candidate for premiership, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, while we stressed on it to show democratic sense of accommodation which demanded that majority party had the right to nominate prime minister.
He also said: “We want to take some more time so that we are able to form a stable government which will be capable to steer the country out of present mess, instead of plunging it into more trouble.”
The PML-Q parliamentary leader stated that in our view democratic norms demanded that whichever party had won majority should lead the government.
For instance, he added, the PML(Q) was in majority in the Centre, Punjab and Balochistan while the MMA had emerged as a single largest party in the NWFP with the PPP earning slightly better position in Sindh, and all of them should accordingly form their governments.
In replying to a question about the anxiety being expressed by politicians over the delay in convening the National Assembly session, he said the assembly was still to complete its numerical strength after the elections on the reserved seats for women.
