Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has invited heads of the parliamentary parties to a meeting on Wednesday (today) to discuss the prevailing political situation, particularly the developments which have taken place after the release of the inquiry commission’s report on the 2013 general elections.
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Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly, told Dawn that he had received the invitation.
The decision to consult the heads of the parliamentary parties was made by the ruling PML-N after the National Assembly deferred for a week two identical motions moved by the JUI-F and the MQM seeking to declare as vacant seats of 28 Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) members for their absence from the house without leave during the party’s sit-in in Islamabad last year. Khurshid Shah, who earlier in the day sent two letters to the prime minister on the issues related to the Pakistan Steel Mills and the flood situation, said that he had not been informed about the agenda of the meeting. However, he said that the agenda would obviously be the political situation and the recent report of the inquiry commission which had rejected the PTI’s allegations of poll rigging.
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He said that he had been trying to persuade the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to withdraw their motions seeking de-seating of the PTI members of the National Assembly (MNAs), including its chief Imran Khan. The PPP leader said that he had visited the residence of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and requested him to withdraw the motion. “I reminded the Maulana that since his party is part of the ruling coalition, he should not press for the motion since the PML-N is not supporting it.” Khurshid Shah said that he had also approached the MQM with the same request. But he refused to tell the name of the MQM leader with whom he claimed to have discussed the issue. Replying a question, Mr Shah said that the JUI-F chief and the MQM had assured him that they would take a decision after consultations within their parties.
