Pervez Khattak sees no ‘positive outcome’ of PTI-govt talks on election date

• Pervez Khattak says talks will not yield positive results in future.
• Ex-KP CM adds PTI had not opposed constitution of the full court.
• "Govt is applying delaying tactics as rulers not interested in polls."

NOWSHERA: Imran Khan's close aide and former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister Pervez Khattak has said that the ongoing negotiations between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the coalition government on the timeframe of the upcoming elections "will not yield any positive outcome".

“The talks were neither successful in the past nor would yield any positive results in future as the rulers have ill-intention and are buying time,” the senior PTI leader said while speaking to Geo News in Nowshera. 

Khattak said he is not optimistic about the negotiations between both sides, adding that it is just a waste of time when the intentions of the rulers are dubious and they break the promises and tell lies.

The PTI leader, who also remained chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for five years, said that the government should first dissolve assemblies to pave the way for the general elections on the same day. He said that the government is applying delaying tactics as the rulers are not interested in elections.

“Our case about the elections in Punjab is in the Supreme Court while the petition regarding holding polls in KP was in the Peshawar High Court, which will be decided soon,” Khattak said, adding that the incumbent rulers are running away from the elections.

About the standoff between parliament and the higher judiciary, he said that the rulers had lost wisdom and the country was headed towards destruction and anarchy.

Khattak also said that disrespecting the judges was not humanity but the law of the jungle, adding that the courts would not run on the PDM's demands. 

He said that they had not opposed the constitution of the full court and its hearing of cases related to elections and constitutional matters but added that it was the discretion of Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial to form benches and assign cases to the relevant benches.

“The coalition government is using various tactics to avoid going to the polls,” the PTI leader said, adding the rulers thought that the PTI could be banned and Imran Khan disqualified, which would not happen.

He said the deposed prime minister is becoming popular with every passing day and the people are joining the PTI. 

Govt-PTI negotiations

The negotiations — which were held in five formal and informal rounds — aimed at developing a consensus on a date for elections. However, despite agreeing to hold elections on the same date, the negotiating parties failed to reach a consensus on the date and submitted separate reports to the apex court.

On May 3, the Imran Khan-led PTI submitted its report to the Supreme Court on negotiations with the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government, requesting it to ensure implementation of its April 4 judgement regarding holding elections to the Punjab Assembly on May 14.

In the report, the PTI — the main opposition party — apprised the court of progress on negotiations, saying it held three rounds of talks with the team of ruling PDM, an alliance of 13 political parties, in line with the commitment made to the top court in the Punjab elections delay case.

During the recent hearing on May 5, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar also informed the Supreme Court that the ruling alliance “believes that political issues can best be resolved through dialogue and are ready to resume” it in the “larger national interest”.

The government made the assurance in its four-page statement submitted to the court. Dar submitted the statement on behalf of the government.

Chief Justice (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial had warned that if the talks between the government and the PTI failed then the Supreme Court would use the Constitution to implement its verdict of holding elections in Punjab on May 14.