On Friday July 1, began what was meant to be the final round of talks. It started at 10am and continued till 1.00pm when the participants broke for Friday prayers. They were unanimous in their determination that the accord must be finalised that very day and so the next session was scheduled for eight in the evening.

At the end of the morning session, Nawabzada pondered over the appearance of the armed forces chiefs for the purpose of expressing their viewpoint at a time when talks had almost reached a final stage. The question: ‘what made the military leadership convey its point of view to the political leadership?’ hung heavy in the air.

As leaders from both sides again met in the evening, clause-wise discussion began on the PNA’s revised draft. All appeared engrossed in the deliberations and it appeared that they wanted to reach a decision. Prof Ghafoor countered every objection raised by Pirzada, while Bhutto was busy taking notes. The contentious points were debated threadbare till a final agreement was arrived at. It was a gruelling session that lasted over ten hours, ending only at dawn the next day.

The points on which a final agreement was arrived at were: the dissolution of the assemblies, dates for the new elections, formation and powers of Implementation Council, release of detainees and lifting of emergency. It was agreed that the assemblies would be dissolved within 15 days of the signing of the accord; however, July 15 was generally accepted as the date for this. The PNA had earlier demanded that the new elections be held before Aug 14; however, after discussion it was decided that polls for the National Assembly would be held on Oct 6 and for provincial assemblies on Oct 8.

The most disputed point was the creation of an Implementation Council to oversee fair and free elections. This was the very issue that had also forced Bhutto to speak to the armed forces chiefs. However, at this meeting the government finally agreed to form a council which would have the powers of the president and the federal government in relation to the governors and provincial governments as were necessary for “ensuring honest, just and fair elections.” It was agreed that no act, ordinance, regulation or order that would affect the elections and the implementation of the accord shall be passed without the prior approval of the proposed council.

It was also decided that the council shall have the powers to review the case of any government servant against whom a complaint regarding interfering in the process of elections or implementation of the accord was lodged.

The prime minister would implement the decisions of the council by exercising his executive authority. While regarding the Azad Kashmir, the president of Pakistan would exercise this power under the directives of the council.

The withdrawal of the armed forces from Balochistan was also discussed at length but finally it was agreed that the forces would be withdrawn within 45 days of the signing of the accord. However, to create normal conditions in the province it was agreed that measures shall be intensified to restore the confidence of the people so that they could go back to their homes and take part in the elections. Moreover, additional measures, both financial and administrative, would continue to be taken for the rehabilitation of all displaced persons.

Another important point which created a deadlock during the talks earlier was the withdrawal of emergency. It was decided that emergency would be lifted as soon as the accord was signed and fundamental rights would be restored; no new emergency would be imposed.

Similarly, the Defence of Pakistan Rules (DPR) would cease to exist with the signing of the accord; additionally all the tribunals formed under them would be abolished. All prisoners detained under the DPR would be released immediately and all cases in tribunals or courts pending against them would stand withdrawn. It was further decided that a committee — comprising one representative from each party — would be formed, which would examine the cases of those persons not covered by this clause within two weeks. Such cases would be referred to the council and if their cases were not covered by this clause they would be transferred to the ordinary courts.

Next week: An accord in sight

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