• JUI-F chief held separate talks with opposition and PPP leaders in separate rooms.
• Bilawal visited Maulana’s residence three times in 24 hours.
• PTI team will meet and advise Mr. Imran today
ISLAMABAD: Opposition leaders and members of the ruling coalition held simultaneous talks with JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Friday, as an agreement on Article 26 constitutional amendments looks increasingly closer.
Maulana Fazl played a key mediating role, facilitating parallel discussions between the PTI-led opposition and the government represented by the PPP. The meeting, which was held in the afternoon at Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s residence, was a continuation of an earlier meeting that continued till early Friday morning.
Late on Friday night, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also visited the Maulana residence and held an hour-long meeting.
Interestingly, the Maulana met the Opposition and PPP delegations in separate rooms, but both the delegations were in the same building at the same time.
Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) leader Senator Allama Nasir Abbas was among the first to arrive around 3 p.m.
A delegation of rebels, including Sahibzada Hamid Raza of the Sunni Ittihad Council (SIC) and leaders of the Balochistan Nationalist Party-Mengal (BNP-M), soon followed. The PTI delegation led by lawyer Gohar Ali Khan also included lawyers Omar Ayub, Asad Qaiser and Ali Zafar.
When the opposition debate began at 4pm, a PPP delegation led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Naveed Kamal and Murtaza Wahab arrived 15 minutes later. Maulana Fazlur Rehman briefly left opposition leaders to greet the PPP delegation and held a separate 30-minute meeting with them.
The JUI-F delegation that attended the meeting included Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Maulana Ataur Rahman, Maulana Abdul Wasai and Kamran Murtaza. The PPP leaders then joined and exchanged greetings with opposition groups including PTI, MWM, SIC and BNP-M leaders.
Speaking to Dawn after the meeting, Senator Abbas praised Bhutto Zardari as a “decent person who knows how to respect his elders.”
He also praised Maulana Fazlur Rehman for acting as a bridge between the government and opposition parties during the tense debate over constitutional amendments in recent days.
Later, at around 5:30 p.m., Barrister Gohar Ali Khan told the media that although discussions on constitutional amendment to Article 26 are progressing, there has been no formal consultation with the PPP leadership on the issue. He said no.
He said consensus was within reach and details would be presented to PTI founder Imran Khan for final approval. “We will meet with him tomorrow (Saturday) and reach a conclusion,” he added.
Sources said a leadership team comprising Barristers Gohar, Barrister Ali Zafar and Barrister Salman Akram Raja will meet Mr. Khan at Adiala Jail today (Saturday) and seek his opinion on the draft draft. . Restrictions on visits to Adiala prison, which had previously prevented party leaders from meeting Mr. Khan, expired on October 18.
While leaving the meeting, the PTI delegation told reporters that it had not held any discussions with the government and was scheduled to meet Imran Khan at 8 am today.
On the other hand, one opposition lawmaker said that although most points in the draft amendments were agreed upon, the process of selecting the Chief Justice of Pakistan, specifically the selection process from a panel of three most senior judges, remained controversial. It has become clear that there is room for
While the PTI delegation deferred the decision until consultations with the jailed Imran Khan, other opposition parties agreed on this and other provisions of the revised draft.
Around 9:30 pm, the PTI delegation returned to the Maulana residence for dinner. However, Deputy Prime Minister Dar and PPP’s Naveed Kamal arrived soon and held brief talks with the PTI team before proceeding with talks with the JUI-F chief.
The government delegation emerged from the Maulana residence around 11 pm. JUI-F sources revealed that Dar expressed concern over certain aspects of the draft amendments approved by the opposition, particularly regarding the trial of civilians in military courts.
Bhutto Zardari, who rushed to the capital from Hyderabad, called on Maulana again after midnight and said this was a last-ditch effort to get the JUI-F chief’s support for the amendments.
Published at Dawn on October 19, 2024
