Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterated that the ruling coalition was unanimous in wanting general elections to be conducted simultaneously nationwide, adding that the majority also believed the “doors of dialogue” should remain open but had not yet decided on their format.
Addressing the federal cabinet after chairing a meeting of all coalition partners convened to discuss potential talks with the PTI—as directed by the Supreme Court (SC)—he said the incumbent government had opted to place all major policy decisions before Parliament. “The National Assembly and the joint house have dealt with these challenges, regarding the matters of the SC, through constitutional and legal measures,” he said. “But the situation remains challenging today,” he said, noting that Parliament had already rejected a three-member bench ruling of the apex court on the Punjab elections delay case.
“The government believes in the majority decision of four judges,” he said, referring to the controversy over four judges declaring the suo motu notice as premature while three ruled that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s decision to delay polls till Oct. 8 was “illegal.” Lamenting that the SC still wanted to proceed with the three-judge ruling, Sharif emphasized that the government’s stance had not changed. Noting that Parliament had already addressed the SC’s ruling, he said this must be respected.
“This is our moral and political responsibility to respect the decisions previously taken by the Parliament,” said the prime minister, noting his speech was aimed at bringing these matters to the public. “The decision [on talks] has to be taken by Parliament; not you or me,” he said. Referring to the SC’s directions for the government to engage in dialogue with the PTI, he said it was not the apex court’s job to arbitrate, rather “it is their job is to give orders as per the Constitution and law.”
He maintained that the ruling coalition was unanimous in believing polls should be conducted nationwide simultaneously. “On Aug. 13, the [National] assembly will complete its term and polls will be held on whatever date comes after the completion of 90 days,” he said.
According to Sharif, it was important to inform the public about the role the PTI had played in exploiting the crises facing the country. He cited as examples the PTI chief’s claims of a foreign regime change conspiracy and efforts by the then-finance ministers of Punjab and KP to “derail the International Monetary Fund program.” Despite this, stressed the prime minister, all members of the government had worked together to overcome the crises. He claimed the country’s situation had now improved.
The premier also lamented that the PTI had made “all-out efforts” to create divisions within society. “Even the Pakistan Army and its leadership were not spared. Some PTI agents outside Pakistan, who are enemies of the country, they played a role that even an enemy wouldn’t play,” he said. Nonetheless, he added, the “overwhelming” majority of lawmakers believed the “doors of dialogue” should not be closed. However, he clarified, their format had yet to be decided.
“There is also an opinion that we can convey our stance to them [PTI] via the National Assembly speaker and then a parliamentary committee can take up the matter so that the nation can know that this allied government has made all-out efforts to ensure everyone unites on one-day polls,” he said, maintaining that the ruling coalition had no ego on the issue unlike the opposition PTI.
Shortly after the premier’s speech, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi—who has been tasked with heading dialogue with the government by Imran Khan—claimed it showed a lack of sincerity from the government. “In best interests of our country and people, we were willing to sit down for talks, to develop political consensus within ambit of the Constitution,” he wrote on Twitter. “But clearly this government is not sincere. [The PTI] will continue to follow Constitution and Supreme Court judgement. Elections, now!”