ISLAMABAD: Following the winding up of Pakistan Awami Tehreek’s sit-in at D-Chowk, an opposition jirga has urged Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan to follow suit.

“Political jirga will soon hold a meeting with the PTI,” PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said at a press conference he addressed on Thursday along with Rehman Malik, a member of the jirga comprising leaders of opposition parties. Chaudhry Shujaat advised the PTI chairman to end the sit-in.

He praised the role played by jirga in defusing the political tension and acting as a bridge between the government and the two protesting parties.

He claimed that PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri had called off his sit-in after consultations with the jirga.

Chaudhry Shujaat, who had supported the PAT movement, denied that there was any ‘London plan’ prepared by Imran Khan and Dr Qadri during a meeting in London before the launching of their protests in the middle of August.

When asked if the PML-N government would complete its five-year term, he only said: “I don’t foresee mid-term elections.”

Talking to Dawn, Rehman Malik said the jirga would contact PTI leader Jehangir Tareen on Friday for a meeting with Imran Khan. He said the government should immediately release detained workers of the PAT and PTI.

Also read: Government, protesting parties agree to resume talks

He said the jirga had played an important role in defusing tension and averting bloodshed in the capital. “It is because of efforts made by the jirga that workers of the PTI and PAT vacated the Parliament House lawns and restricted themselves to D-Chowk. It is also because of the jirga that the three sides had held talks,” he claimed.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2014