ISLAMABAD: With Islamabad gearing up to tackle JUI-F’s ‘Azadi March’, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s announcement on Wednesday that the marchers would be allowed to proceed with their protest was no less than a breakthrough as the opposition agreed to hold talks with the government’s negotiating team.

Terming the government’s announcement welcoming, a senior opposition leader confirmed to Dawn that Defence Minister Pervez Khattak and acting President Sadiq Sanjrani had contacted the opposition’s Rehbar Committee, seeking an appointment for a meeting which was expected to take place here on Friday (tomorrow).

The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl has already convened a meeting of its Central Shura in Sukkur on Wednesday (today) to discuss the new situation after the government’s decision to give them a go-ahead for the march.

“It has been decided that the government with its firm belief in upholding democratic ideals will allow the proposed Azadi March if it takes place within the ambit of law and the Constitution as interpreted in the decisions of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and Islamabad High Court,” said a brief official handout issued by the Prime Minister Office after a meeting of PM Khan with the seven-member government team constituted by him to engage the JUI-F and other opposition parties ahead of their anti-government long march to Islamabad on Oct 31.

Opposition welcomes announcement; JUI-F convenes Shura meeting today

On Monday, after a meeting of the Rehbar Committee, JUI-F leader Akram Durrani had stated that the option of negotiations with the government was subject to the party being permitted to take out a peaceful ‘Azadi March’.

Hours after his meeting with the members of the government negotiating team, PM Khan interacted with TV anchorpersons during which he categorically rejected the opposition’s demand of stepping down. “I am a constitutionally elected prime minister and I will not resign,” the prime minister said, adding: “I am unable to comprehend their (opposition’s) insistence on minus-Imran [formula].”

Mr Khan observed that apparently it seemed that some “foreign hands” were behind the planned sit-in of the JUI-F. However, he said he was ready to hear the “legitimate demands” of Maulana Fazlur Rehman. He said he had empowered the negotiating team to hold talks with the opposition parties.

In response to a question about the recent ban on media coverage of the JUI-F chief, the prime minister said there should be no “media blackout” of Maulana Fazl. Pointing towards his special assistant on information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, he said that as far as he was concerned, he had not issued any such instructions to ban the Maulana’s coverage.

Stating that apparently it seemed there were some “foreign hands” behind the Maulana’s sit-in, Mr Khan said the Indian media was giving excessive coverage to the opposition’s march. He alleged that the opposition parties wanted him to strike a deal with them. He made it clear that action against the corrupt would continue.

Talking to Dawn, federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood, who is also a member of the government’s negotiating team, said the government had decided to allow the opposition to hold the long march, but its modalities would be finalised later. “We will allow them to hold the march under the law and the Constitution. We are democratic people and believe in democracy,” he added.

When asked if they would offer the opposition to hold their protest at Parade Ground, instead of D-Chowk in Islamabad’s Red Zone, the minister said that so far they had not taken any decision in this regard and these issues would be discussed with the opposition.

Mr Mahmood rejected a perception that the government had made any change in the strategy to deal with the opposition’s protest, saying it was their first formal meeting on the issue. When his attention was drawn to the statements of some ministers and ruling party members that the Maulana would not be allowed to hold the march, he said those statements were issued by them in their “individual capacity” and the official statement in this regard had already been issued by the PM Office.

Sources in the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) said that during the meeting, the prime minister was briefed by the members of the negotiating team on their contacts with the opposition parties and the possible options to deal with ‘Azadi March’ also came under discussion. The meeting discussed some of the recent decisions of the superior courts which were issued from time to time when the PTI and other religious groups had staged sit-ins in Rawalpindi and Islamabad in the past.

The sources said that since the courts had already declared that holding of peaceful protest was a democratic right of every individual and party, but no one could be allowed to encroach upon the fundamental rights of other citizens by blocking roads or disturbing their business, it was in the light of these judgements that the government would offer a specified place to the opposition to hold their public meeting or even the sit-in.

When contacted, JUI-F information secretary Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said they would come out with their formal reaction to the government’s decision after their Shoora meeting. Mr Ahmed, who is known for his witty and dual meaning comments, however, said that “some U-turns are good to be taken”.

On the other hand, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) secretary general and member of the Rehbar Committee Nayyar Bokhari said it was good that the government had accepted the opposition’s “democratic right to hold protest” which was a pre-requisite for the talks. “It was our demand and a pre-requisite for starting talks and it is good that the government has acknowledged our stance that we have the democratic and constitutional right to hold protest,” he added.

The PPP leader confirmed that Sadiq Sanjrani had contacted him for a meeting. However, he said, Mr Sanjrani had been told that the meeting was not possible on Thursday since the JUI-F leadership would be in Sukkur for their party meeting.

PM’s talk

Prime Minister Khan in his conversation with the TV anchors said he had directed the authorities concerned to ensure that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was provided the best available medical treatment. He regretted that the opposition was blaming him for the deteriorating health of Mr Sharif and said that he had nothing to do with it as it was the responsibility of the jail administration and doctors to look after Mr Sharif.

Mr Khan said the tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir were still high and Pakistan was ready to give a befitting reply to any possible Indian aggression.

Talking about his efforts to diffuse tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia, he said he had been trying to arrange a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries in Islamabad.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2019