Coalition sets conditions for negotiations and says dialogue is only possible without preconditions
ISLAMABAD:
The federal government and its coalition partners on Monday objected to the statement issued by Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP), questioning both the feasibility of its demands and the political intent behind them, while reiterating that dialogue remains possible only if it is meaningful and constitutional.
The opposition alliance, after two days of deliberations in Islamabad, presented its joint statement on Sunday, containing a series of demands, including an investigation into the February 24 elections as well as a call for dialogue.
Reacting to the opposition’s demands, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry of the PML-N said the government was not averse to dialogue.
Speaking to a private news channel, he recalled that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had already engaged with lawyer Gohar Ali Khan in similar efforts. “The problem with the PTI is that they are divided. One faction wants dialogue but doesn’t know with whom, another insists on talking only with the establishment, and the majority only seeks anarchy,” he said.
Similarly, the PPP, a key coalition partner of the federal government, supported the idea of dialogue, but with reservations.
PPP Secretary Nayyer Bukhari told The Express PK Press Club that dialogue was only meaningful if confidence-building measures were in place. “They want a dialogue with other circles,” he said.
“Dialogue committees were formed in the past but were later dissolved by the former party president, reflecting a deficit of trust,” he said.
JUI-F leader Ziaur Rehman called TTAP’s demand for an investigation into the 2024 elections “incomplete”, arguing that any credible investigation must also include the 2018 elections.
He told The Express PK Press Club that Achakzai opposed the 2018 elections and protested alongside opposition parties then. “Limiting the demand for an election inquiry to just 2024 makes it a demand of half,” he said.
He stressed that restoring public trust requires truly free and fair elections and a truly independent electoral commission.
Ahmad Bilal Mehboob, president of PILDAT, said the current problem, legally and constitutionally, is that an election cannot be challenged by any method other than an election petition. Electoral petitions are already pending before the courts, with decisions announced in about half of the cases,” he said.
