PM again seeks support of parliamentary parties

Published September 2, 2014
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. — File photo
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. — File photo

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif yet again sought on Monday refuge in the unconditional support of parliamentary parties against the twin-marches camped on the Constitution Avenue, but dropped no hint how the government planned to end the political stalemate which has entered third week.

After meeting Army Chief General Raheel Sharif in the early afternoon, the prime minister invited leaders of all parliamentary parties to his office for consultation.

The official communiqué released after the meeting only said that in a four-hour huddle political parties across the board had once again reiterated their support for the continuation of current democratic dispensation and against the resignation of the prime minister.

The official release, however, did not say if at all the government had worked out any strategy to deal with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri who were demanding resignation of the prime minister.

Talking to Dawn, a participant of the meeting said that despite their (politicians) repeated questions, Mr Sharif refused to share any detail of his recent meetings with the army chief.

“Every time, one of us asks the prime minister if the army is behind the marchers as some of the government ministers have on record pointed fingers towards the GHQ, he will simply say he has no issues with the army.”

Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has more than once said that all current problems afflicting the government were because of its decision to put former army chief retired Gen Pervez Musharraf on trial under Article 6, making an indirect reference to the military establishment’s unhappiness towards the PML-N.

Refusing to speak on record, the participant said during the entire meeting the prime minister looked out of sorts, showing visible signs of his fast-receding executive authority vis-à-vis leaders of the PTI and PAT.

“Throughout Monday, police were on the defensive and only the presence of the military in the red zone provided some semblance of government control, otherwise, protesters were everywhere,” he said.

Another participant, who too preferred to remain off the record, said the two houses of parliament had already passed separate resolutions in support of the government and Monday’s meeting was all about reaffirmation of their (political parties) earlier positions.

“Although the prime minister throughout his first year in power has ignored parliament, it is good to see him coming back to us.”

According to him, had the government sincerely involved parliamentary parties in the crisis, things would have been different. Even at Monday’s meeting nobody from the government explained how it was going to get out of the crisis, he added.

“The issue at the moment is not of our support to the government, but its own line of action to end the standoff.”

The participants of the meeting again offered their services for mediation between the government and PAT-PTI leaders, but in the end it had to be PM’s call, he said.

The meeting was attended by PML-N leaders Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, retired Gen Abdul Qadir Baloch, Pervaiz Rashid, Khawaja Saad Rafiq and Irfan Siddiqui, Syed Khurshid Shah, Aitzaz Ahsan and Rehman Malik of the PPP, Dr Farooq Sattar and Babar Ghouri of the MQM, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Ghulam Ahmed Bilour and Haji Adeel of the ANP, Sirajul Haq and Liaqat Baloch of Jamaat-i-Islami, Mahmood Khan Achakzai of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Hasil Bizenjo of the National Party, Aftab Sherpao of the Qaumi Watan Party, Ijazul Haq, Kalsoom Parveen of the Balochistan National Party (Awami), G.G. Jamal from Fata and Prof Sajid Mir of the Jamiat Ahle Hadith.

According to the official statement, the prime minister told the politicians that come what may he would neither resign nor go on leave as being pressed by PAT and PTI leaderships.

The prime minister made it clear that he would not set a tradition of a few people besieging the mandate of millions of people. “We have rule of law in the country and will not allow anybody at any cost to hurt it,” Mr Sharif was quoted as saying.

Talking to a TV channel, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the government had decided to constitute a committee comprising representatives of all opposition political parties to approach Mr Khan and Dr Qadri for negotiations.

PTI leader Naeemul Haq told the same TV channel that his party was ready for talks, but there would not be any change in its demands. Moreover, he demanded removal of containers and police from D-Chowk if the government was serious in resuming talks with PTI.

Late in the evening, PTI Chairman Imran left his container for an undisclosed destination. According to PTI officials, he had gone to some friend’s place for physical exercise.

According to rumours, efforts were on for a breakthrough in talks. But nobody from the PTI was available to comment.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2014

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