ISLAMABAD: All political parties represented in parliament, except the beleaguered Muttahida Qaumi Movement, have supported an agreement between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on the setting up of a judicial commission to investigate allegations of rigging in the last general elections.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had a brief sitting on Tuesday with the heads of parliamentary parties at the Parliament House, where they were informed about the contours of the agreement.

“The matter of forming a judicial commission was deliberated upon in detail and it was decided to go ahead with the formation of the commission,” the media wing of the Prime Minister Office said in a statement issued after the meeting.

However, the statement also reflected a note of dissent from the MQM leadership. “Some parties raised constitutional and legal reservations but decided to support the government on this matter in the interest of democracy and political stability,” it explained.

Talking to reporters outside the Parliament House, MQM’s parliamentary party leader in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar said the government-PTI agreement was a “sheer violation of the Constitution”.

He cited Article 225 of the Constitution which he said categorically underlined that election-related issues could only be decided at the forum of election tribunals. “By agreeing to constitute the commission both the PTI and the government are committing violation of the Constitution to which the MQM cannot become part of,” he said.

MQM terms agreement ‘sheer violation of constitution’

Dr Sattar also quoted Article 189, according to which, he said the Supreme Court, in a recent PTI petition, had already decided that election-related affairs could only be taken up by election tribunals.

“The MQM didn’t express its reservations over the judicial commission but outrightly opposed it,” he clarified.

He claimed that other parties also shared MQM’s point of view but fell in line with the government.

Senator Jamaldini of BNP-M regretted that his party had representation in both the houses of parliament but it had not been invited to the meeting.

The prime minister took the leaders of parliamentary parties into confidence on the process of negotiations with the PTI. “The PML-N wants to take all political forces along on matters of national importance,” he was quoted as saying at the meeting.

He recalled that he had written a letter to the Supreme Court on Aug 13 last year for the formation of a judicial commission.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar briefed the meeting on details of negotiations the government had held with the PTI.

The prime minister said his government wanted to remove misgivings among political parties through dialogue and fully concentrated on resolving the challenges being faced by the nation, including eradicating terrorism and extremism, meeting energy shortage, putting the economy on the path of progress and working for a safe, peaceful, tolerant and prosperous society.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Ahmed Shah told the meeting that since the government had agreed to form the judicial commission, the PTI should return to the assembly.

The meeting was attended by Leader of Opposition in the Senate Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Dr Farooq Sattar, Jamaat-i-Islami Emir Sirajul Haq, Senator Rehman Malik (PPP), Pir Sadruddin Shah (PML-F), Mehmood Khan Achakzai (PkMAP), Ghulam Ahmad Bilour (ANP), Ijazul Haq (PML-Z), Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao (QWP), Sahibzada Tariqullah (JI), Mir Hasil Bizenjo (National Party), Senator Kalsoom Parveen (PML-N), Dr Ghazi Gulab Jamal from Fata, Information Minister Pervez Rashid, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, Minister for States and Frontier Regions retired Lt Gen Abdul Qadir Baloch, Minister for Housing Akram Khan Durrani, Minister of State for Information Technology Anusha Rahman, PM’s special assistants Khawaja Zaheer and Barrister Zafrullah, Zahid Hamid, PM’s Political Secretary Dr Asif Kirmani and the attorney general.

Published in Dawn March 25th , 2015

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