Ruling allies deliberate over dialogue with PTI ahead of SC deadline
Pakistan
SC had advised the political parties to consult each other
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is presiding over a consultation session of allies on Wednesday.
The parliamentary leaders of the allied parties are participating in the session. According to sources, the meeting began at 12:30pm at the Prime Minister's House to discuss the current political situation and carve out a plan for the future.
The prime minister will consult the leaders regarding negotiations with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the session will also ponder over proposing a date of the upcoming elections in Punjab.
The Supreme Court has also advised the political parties to consult each other. Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari have already expressed their stance at a press conference.
The Supreme Court will be informed about the decisions made during the consultations with the parties in the alliance.
Before Eidul Fitr, a three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar, had given the political parties a week to develop a consensus on the date for holding national and provincial elections simultaneously. The apex court had also directed them to submit a progress report on April 27 about the meeting of political leaders scheduled to be held on April 26.
The bench had issued the directives while hearing petitions seeking elections across the country on the same day, a key demand by the coalition government. However, the PTI is calling for snap polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where it had dissolved the assemblies earlier this year.
