News
Tuesday, April 02, 2013
JI, PTI heading for failure on seats adjustment issue* Tehreek-e-Insaf’s interest in arrangement with JI diminished
By Tanveer Ahmed
ISLAMABAD: The adjustment of seats between Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) appears to be heading towards failure, as the latter seems to be less interested in it.
Also, the reports of such arrangement between the JI and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) are also moving the PTI away from the former, Daily Times learnt on Monday. The JI and PTI started talks on seats’ adjustments for the next polls on October 30, 2012, and the negotiations remained alive since March 23 when PTI held a massive public gathering in Lahore to kick off its election campaign.
Before the Lahore public gathering, PTI Chairman Imran Khan and JI chief Munawwar Hassan held a meeting to move ahead on the seats adjustments issue and central and provincial committees were formed to sort out the issues and arrive at a consensus on the seats adjustments. However, no meeting of these committees was held to start the initial work. “No progress has been made since then on these committees,” JI Secretary General Liaqat Baloch told this scribe. When asked about any stumbling block between the two parties on this issue, Baloch replied that there is no such thing at all. However, he opined that it is premature to jump to a conclusion, as there is still enough time to settle the seats adjustments issue between the two parties. About seats adjustments with the PML-N, Baloch said that the JI is open to PML-N and religious parties on seats adjustments and declared that it would not, however, go for such arrangement with the PPP, MQM, PML-Q and ANP anywhere in the country.
On the other hand, PTI has explicitly announced that it would not enter into seats adjustments with the JI if it makes such arrangement with the PML-N. “We will not enter into it if JI goes for seats adjustments with the PML-N,” PTI’s Information Secretary Shafqat Mahmood told Daily Times. However, he said that no final decision has been made on the seats adjustments issue, as the talks are underway with the JI, contrary to Liaquat Balcoh’s statement that no meeting has been held between the two after March 23. When Liaquat Baloch was asked to comment on PTI’s stance regarding JI and PML-N seats adjustments, he called it an uncalled for demand of the PTI because JI and PTI are engaged in an electoral alliance.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk