Govt dialogue committee to meet PML-Q leadership: sources

ISLAMABAD: The government dialogue committee will hold a meeting with the leadership of Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) on Wednesday (tomorrow) which will also be attended by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, citing sources, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

Sources said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) central leader Jahangir Tareen and Defence Minister Pervez Khattak will also participate in the forthcoming meeting.

It emerged that Tareen has also contacted the leadership of Balochistan National Party Mengal (BNP-M) and decided to meet at earliest.

The federal government has also started the implementation of its decision to fulfil promises for the recovery of missing persons demanded by BNP-M top leaders, sources said.

Read: Talks with MQM-P: PM Imran summons negotiation committee meeting

Moreover, the Centre also completed paperwork for the finalisation of development projects recommended by BNP-M besides releasing the funds, sources added.

Yesterday, a delegation led by Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Reforms Asad Umar had held a meeting with Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leaders at the party’s temporary headquarters in Bahadurabad to assuage their reservations.

The meeting comes a day after MQM-P convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui

announced his resignation as Federal Minister for Information Technology.

Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi and MPA Khurram Sher Zaman were part of the government delegation. Whereas the MQM-P delegation included Siddiqui, Amir Khan, Kanwar Naveed Jamil, Khawaja Izharul Hassan, and Aminul Haque.

Read: Deadlock persists as PTI delegation meets MQM-P leaders to assuage reservations

Speaking at a post-meeting press conference, convener Siddiqui downplayed today’s talks saying it was a scheduled meeting. He reiterated his party would continue with its cooperation with the PTI government.

Asad Umar said Khalid Maqbool didn’t retract his decision to quit the federal cabinet.

He said they apprised the MQM-P leadership of progress on the ongoing federal government-funded schemes in Karachi. He acknowledged that there remain certain issues that warrant attention, adding the people of Karachi have been denied their due rights for decades.

Asad Umar said the issues would be sorted out during Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Karachi visit in the first week of next month. He said the federal government wished to work with the Sindh government for development of the metropolis.