ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) rolled out its three powerhouses, handpicked by party chief Imran Khan, to meet leaders from different parties and build a consensus on the electoral reforms agenda presented at the PTI rally in Islamabad on Sunday.

The power trio of Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Jehangir Tarin spent Wednesday meeting with leaders from the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM).

All three parties supported PTI’s demands for wide-ranging electoral reforms to ensure free, fair and transparent elections in the future. They also joined the PTI in calling for the resignation of all serving members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

At lunchtime, the PTI team met PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who supported the PTI’s charter of demands for electoral reforms. Leaders from both sides agreed that the ECP had failed to conduct free and fair elections, which is its primary function. Therefore, purely on moral grounds, ECP staff should quit, the meeting concluded.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Mr Qureshi said: “The laws that govern election processes need to be reformed and a completely independent election commission must hold free and fair elections in the country.” He said the PTI would get in touch with all political parties, whether in parliament or outside, who believed that the 2013 general elections were rigged and wanted reforms in the electoral process.

Chaudhry Shujaat said his party had also raised concerns that the last general election was rigged.

In addition, Senator Kamil Ali Agha and MNA Tariq Bashir Cheema were named as the PML-Q representatives for the multi-party committee, which PTI proposed would work on electoral reforms. The PTI nominated Shafqat Mehmood and Dr Arif Alvi as its representatives on the committee.

In the afternoon, the committee met PPP stalwart Syed Khursheed Shah. Addressing a press conference after the deliberations, Mr Shah said his party was always open to electoral reforms.

Later in the day, an MWM delegation led by Allama Nasir Abbas offered “unconditional support” to PTI’s charter of demands.

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