Voices from within ruling coalition call for ‘de-escalation’

ISLAMABAD: Voices have started emerging from within the ruling coalition calling for de-escalation and finding ‘amicable solutions’ to the prevailing political, economical and judicial crises.

Six parties in the ruling alliance, Pakistan Democratic Move­ment, on Monday urged the political forces to sit together after a meeting with a civil society group, Mediators, at the National Press Club.

The meeting was attended by the representatives of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Baloch­istan Nat­ional Party (BNP-Men­gal), National Party (NP), National De­­m­ocratic Movement (NDM), Qaumi Wat­­an Party (QWP) and Pashtun­khwa Milli Awami Party (Pk-MAP).

In a joint statement after the meeting, the political parties and the group stressed the need for holding a multiparty conference (MPC) to overcome the crises.

The meeting also expressed concerns over the judicial crisis and urged the need for unity within the judiciary and safeguarding its independence.

Six allies urge political forces to sit together, overcome crises

The Mediators, a group of over 100 civil society organisations including the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Pakistan Bar Council, Pakistan Federation of Union of Journalists and others, has been making efforts to bring warring parties to the table and defuse the political tension which erupted since on the issue of holding general elections to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies within the constitutional timeframe of 90 days after the dissolution of assemblies.

The Mediators’ coordinator Im­­tiaz Alam urged the ruling PDM to do legislation to ensure the supremacy of the Constitution. He asked PML-N, PTI and PPP to accept the invitation for the proposed MPC.

The meeting was apprised that invitations for the proposed MPC have been sent to PTI Chairman Imran Khan, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. However, the date of the MPC was yet to be announced.

This is the second such effort by the group to build a consensus among political parties to overcome the prevailing crises.

Earlier in March, the group met with PTI Chairman Khan and urged him to sit with the rival parties for the sake of “greater national consensus” on elections.

After the meeting, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry confirmed that the PTI chairman agreed to participate in a proposed MPC.