Lahore: A de-escalation of the political crisis in Pakistan is likely as the agitating protesters are softening their stand. Tehreek-e-Insaf led by Imran Khan has agreed to resume talks with the government to uphold democracy. The announcement to resume talks was made by party Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
The negotiating teams are scheduled to meet later in the evening at Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Rehman Malik's residence. Sources close to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif say that the situation is now under control. The government is speaking to the protesting parties and a special session of the national assembly is on to find a solution.
The negotiating panel also met with Imran Khan and Paksitan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahir-ul Qadri on Tuesday night and said that their meetings had been positive. Sources close to Sharif have rejected reports of a rift with the Army. Sharif is unlikely to resign as he has the mandate of the people.
Meanwhile, a Pakistani court on Tuesday dismissed a plea seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for "lying to the nation" over inviting Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif to help resolve the ongoing crisis in Islamabad. Lahore High Cour Justice Mansoor Ali Shah termed the petition "non-maintainable", observing the petitioner could agitate this matter before an appropriate political forum.
Petitioner Gohar Nawaz Sindhu pleaded before the court that the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had violated the Constitution by lying in the parliament that they had not invited the Army Chief to play his role "as mediator and facilitator".
He said as per article 62 (f) of the Constitution a member of the National Assembly should be "sagacious, righteous and non-profligate and honest and ameeen". "The article 63 (of the Constitution) states a member of the parliament shall be disqualified who defames or brings into ridicule the armed forces of Pakistan," he argued, and said Sharif had clearly violated his oath by lying to the people of Pakistan during his address to the parliament.
The petitioner said the Army's media wing Inter Services Public Relations had issued a statement contradicting the Prime Minister and Interior Minister that the army chief was not asked to facilitate negotiations with the protesters led by Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri.
Thousands of supporters of Khan and Qadri are camping in Islamabad's Red Zone, which houses several important government buildings, and staging sit-ins for the last 19 days, demanding Sharif's resignation. They allege rigging in 2013 polls, which Sharif had won by a thumping victory. "After the ISPR statement, the Prime Minister has no moral ground to stay in office," he said.
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