ISLAMABAD: Amid some ministerial outbursts of anger against besieging protesters, the top government negotiator told parliament on Wednesday a final response to some of their unresolved demands had been formulated in a meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

But Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who leads a government team negotiating with the protesting Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), predicted defeat for their protest sit-ins, in Islamabad for nearly four weeks as he explained the status of the negotiations to a joint sitting of the National Assembly and Senate before it was adjourned for six days.

Senator Dar said that while the government side had declared outright that the main PTI demand for resignation of the prime minister for at least a month was “non-negotiable” – though he said the other side still wanted to negotiate over this – a meeting of the prime minister with heads of other parliamentary parties had approved what he called the last version of the response relating to terms of reference for a proposed judicial commission for probing allegations of massive rigging in last year’s general elections, including summary investigations proposed by the other side.

He said talks with the PAT had also progressed though some of its demands for early action over what the party calls its revolutionary programme were “impracticable” and that the government was agreeable to the formation of a “national reforms council” to propose any possible constitutional changes.

But the minister did not seem as emphatic against a PAT demand for the resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif as he was against the prime minister’s resignation – that he called “out of the question” -- saying only that the other side had been told in “categorical” terms that how anyone could be punished without being proved guilty.

The PTI had originally demanded the prime minister’s ouster for his alleged role in the May 11, 2013 elections that it says were massively rigged, but later revised it to a resignation for only a month to allow a free probe of the elections by the proposed judicial commission, while the PAT wants the Punjab chief minister too to resign for allegedly ordering a June 17 police shooting at the party headquarters in Lahore that left at least 14 PAT followers dead.

Senator Dar said the prime minister had already made it clear that instead of resignations of individuals, “our whole government will go” if massive rigging were proved.

But while hoping that a solution could be found if the other side were realistic, the minister suddenly turned aggressive towards the protesters and said: “God-willing, they are destined to meet defeat.”

So was Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, who described the sit-ins outside parliament as an intolerable assault, which he said could have attracted trial of both PTI chairman Imran Khan and PAT leader Dr Tahirul Qadri under article 6 of the Constitution for high treason “if this house had not shown restraint”.

Such comments prompted National Assembly member Shazia Marri of Pakistan People’s Party to warn the treasury benches of damage such “quite alarming” speeches could do to the ongoing dialogue with the protesters even when she attacked the protest sit-ins in long fiery speech in what she called defence of the Constitution and parliament.

“Cabinet members have to speak with responsibility,” she said, advising the ministers to “put your ego aside” and speak with humility.

After what has already turned out to be longest joint sitting of parliament in Pakistan’s history, since it was called on Sept 2, many lawmakers seemed feeling relieved when, as decided in the prime minister’s meeting with parliamentary leaders, Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq adjourned the house until 5pm on Sept 17.

Published in Dawn, September 11th , 2014