Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the senior vice president of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), questioned on Monday why Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Khawaja Asif and Javed Latif were starting to obstruct the continuing discussion as the government and the opposition prepared to enter the last round of election discussions.
PML-N leader Javed Latif made his comments after criticizing the government-PTI discussion and declaring that talks with “terrorists” and people who “want to destroy national institutions” should never be undertaken.
On the Supreme Court’s recommendation, negotiations between the government and the PTI started last week, ending a protracted standoff. The sides are now anticipated to convene the last round of negotiations tomorrow (Tuesday) after two rounds of discussions.
The chances that the conversation would produce fruitful outcomes, meanwhile, are beginning to appear “very slim” since PTI Chairman Imran Khan has urged that the National Assembly be dissolved by May 14 in order to clear the way for productive negotiations.
Imran’s ultimatum was deemed “impracticable” by the administration, who also urged him to be more flexible in order to forward this discussion between the two parties.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had said the previous day that he did not anticipate a “positive outcome” from the negotiations. The PTI is putting conditions on the talks, so what will the outcome be, he asked.
Qureshi, talking to media during PTI’s Labour Day rally, said that he was ready to participate in the third round of negotiations tomorrow (May 2).
However, he asked, “But now, I want to question Dar Sahab: On the one hand, you are representing the PML-N’s senior leadership; on the other, you are seated at the table [for discussions]. Do Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, and Javed Latif not belong to your party, please?”
The PTI leader addressed former president Asif Ali Zardari, “Why are you standing with those who are violating the Constitution today when the PPP always claimed to have upheld the Constitution?”
However, on the other side, the Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had contacted Shah Mehmood Qureshi. He had said that he was not aware of the incident. Dar said that he will bring the matter to the knowledge of his leadership. He had also said that Parvez Elahi should respect law and cooperate with investigating agencies.
