ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani has decided to form a 10-member parliamentary committee for talks on holding elections across the country on the same date.
In a letter written to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and PTI senator Shehzad Waseem, Senate chairman has asked both leaders to give four-names each for the formation of 10-member parliamentary committee to address the ongoing political and economic crisis including the holding of general elections.
“The Senate of Pakistan; House of Federation, being a stabilising factor of the federation is constitutionally bestowed with the responsibility of protecting the national and political harmony vis-a-vis the national and public interest,” he wrote.
Sanjrani added that a 10-member special committee for holding political dialogue is being constituted under the joint convenership of the Leader of the House in the Senate and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and comprising four members each from the treasury and opposition benches.
PTI constitutes three-member committee
Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday constituted a three-member committee for negotiations with the government.
The committee comprised PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry and Senator Ali Zafar. The committee will negotiate with the government regarding holding elections on the same day across the country.
The move comes after federal ministers and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Azam Nazeer Tarar and Saad Rafique yesterday contacted Senate Chairman for talks with opposition – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The ministers proposed to constitute five-member committees of opposition and government from upper house of Parliament. They also sought place in Parliament House for negotiations, sources claimed.
‘SC can’t force govt to hold negotiations’
Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday adjourned hearing of a plea seeking simultaneous elections across Pakistan.
At the last hearing before Eidul Fitr, the SC had asked political parties to hold talks on April 26 and come up with a response by April 27 after giving stakeholders a chance to reach an agreement.
A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Ijazul Ahsan heard the case.
At the outset of the hearing, Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan told the court first contact between the government and the opposition was held on April 19 and it was decided to hold a meeting on April 26.
Federal Ministers Ayaz Sadiq and Khawaja Saad Rafique met PTI leader and former NA speaker Asad Qaiser who during the meeting said he is not ‘authorised’ for talks, the AGP said.
