President, PM form committee to initiate talks with PTI leadership | The Express Tribune

The government on Thursday formed a committee to hold talks with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership on the current political situation in the country.

The development comes amid continued tensions following PTI’s announcement of an Islamabad march. Although the protest was postponed from September 27 to October 4, the standoff between the federal and provincial governments remains unresolved.

The decision was taken during a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at Aiwan-e-Sadr, according to a statement issued by the President House.

The meeting decided that a joint delegation comprising representatives of the federal government and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) would meet the PTI leadership the following day to discuss the current political situation.

The delegation will comprise Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah and Amir Muqam from the federal government. At the same time, Sherry Rehman, Syed Naveed Qamar and Ejaz Jakhrani will represent the PPP.

The president and prime minister also discussed the country’s overall political and security situation during the meeting.

The meeting expressed concern over the security situation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and reviewed the country’s overall security situation.

President Zardari and PM Shehbaz stressed the need to further strengthen the national resolve against terrorism and ensure effective coordination among all relevant institutions for peace and stability in the country.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Law and Justice Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Rana Sanaullah, Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan, PM’s Adviser Dr Tauqir Shah, PPP Senators Sherry Rehman and Saleem Mandviwalla, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and provincial minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah.

The decision comes amid deepening political uncertainty in K-P and growing tensions between the federal and provincial governments, with the former threatening to impose governor’s rule or an emergency in the province.

A day earlier, speaking to journalists at Parliament House, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the federal government was “seriously” considering imposing an emergency in K-P in response to the worsening security situation in the province.

The issue has become a major point of contention between the federal and provincial governments. On Sept 21, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the government was consulting the Law Ministry on legal options for the province, including governor’s rule, if the PTI proceeded with the march. Two days later, however, Information Minister Atta Tarar ruled out any plan to impose governor’s rule, saying the federal government had no intention of removing the PTI administration.

K-P Governor Faisal Karim Kundi separately warned the provincial government against creating a situation that could force the Centre to impose Governor’s Rule.

Amid the government’s warnings, K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi also struck a defiant tone, saying the PTI would “rebel” if necessary to force changes in federal policies that were “harming the province”.

Rejecting the warnings, he said he would not retreat from his position because of threats of Governors’ Rule or an emergency. He also said PTI supporters could take to the streets at short notice if an attempt was made to remove him.