ISLAMABAD: Opposition parliamentarians busy in facilitating talks to end the political stalemate between the government and the protesting Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek floated on Thursday their own proposals, apparently in a bid to publicly urge the contesting sides to reach an agreement.

A six-member jirga comprising opposition lawmakers believed that their proposals carried the potential to help resolve the crisis if the two sides agreed to them on a give-and-take basis.

Talking to Dawn, negotiators from the two sides appreciated the jirga’s efforts for resuming the talks, but they stuck to their stated positions.

Representatives of the two sides stick to their stated positions

Federal Minister retired Lt General Abdul Qadir Baloch told Dawn that he was yet to go through the jirga’s suggestions, but said eventually it was the direct negotiations between the two sides which would matter.

“We have already exchanged written replies with each other and now jirga’s proposals can be taken up for discussion if the two sides agreed to resume talks.”

Information Minister Parvez Rashid, who is also official spokesperson for the prime minister, said: “As far as I know jirga’s role is limited only to facilitate talks. They are free to make suggestions, but in the end talks between the government and PAT-PTI negotiators will decide if they are ready to end the impasse.”

The two ministers told Dawn that they could not comment on Jirga’s proposals before going through them.

In its key suggestion, the Jirga has proposed that the prime minister make a commitment on the floor of parliament that he will resign if the proposed judicial commission found that the 2013 general elections were rigged.

Almost similar views were expressed by PTI lawmakers, who had been involved in negotiations both with the government and the jirga. “Since the two sides have serious differences over the definition of election rigging, the issue needs to be resolved before the jirga’s suggestions are taken up for discussion,” PTI leader Dr Arif Alvi told Dawn.

The government has refused to open new constituencies for investigation and insisted that under Article 225 of the Constitution only election tribunals can decide on the issue if candidates filed petitions.

Dr Alvi said that from day one his party had been asking for thumb impression-based recounting of votes and verification of other anomalies which had been found in the constituencies opened so far by the tribunals.

Shafqat Mehmood of the PTI, who attended Thursday’s meeting with the jirga, said the issue of proposals could come later because at the moment his party was not willing to resume talks with the government before the release of all its workers.

“Scores of our party workers have been implicated in false cases. We have categorically told members of the jirga that there will be no talks if the government did not stop its crackdown on PTI workers.”

Nobody was available from the PAT to tell whether the party was happy or not with the jirga’s efforts.

The jirga has proposed that investigations into the Model Town incident could be transferred from Punjab to any other province, besides setting up a new judicial commission to determine the role of the prime minister and the Punjab chief minister in the incident.

Syed Irfan Raza adds: Jirga members claimed at a press conference that the government and PTI had settled all but one issue; the definition of ‘rigging’. Jirga leaders are expected to meet the prime minister on Friday.

On Thursday, the jirga sent a second letter to the prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan and PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri.

The fresh letter bore more recommendations for the three sides, which the jirga maintains could help end the impasse peacefully.

Jirga members met on Thursday to discuss the impasse. The meeting was later joined by a PTI delegation, headed by General Secretary Jahangir Tareen.

Following the meeting, Senator Rehman Malik told reporters that they could not share details of the latest letter with the media until all three sides had a chance to respond.

Its previous letter to all three sides dated Sept 8, which the jirga said contained a “workable formula”, states: “Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may state that he will resign from his office if systematic rigging is proved and if it is established that he became prime minister as a result of such rigging after the inquiry by the proposed judicial commission.”

Senator Malik said the jirga had urged all three sides to resume the dialogue, as “The responsibility for failure of the talks will lie on whichever side abstains from the dialogue process.”

Separately, speaking to reporters after the meeting, PTI leader Mr Tareen said his party was ready to resume dialogue with the government, provided investigations into the alleged electoral rigging in four Punjab constituencies were initiated.

“How can it be established that rigging has been committed unless the four constituencies are opened to a probe,” he said.

He accused the government of sabotaging the dialogue itself by launching a crackdown and arresting hundreds of peaceful PTI and PAT protesters.

Jamaat-i-Islami Emir Sirajul Haq is heading the Jirga and Senator Rehman Malik of the PPP, Senator Hasil Bizenjo of the National Party, Liaquat Baloch of the JI, Dr G.G. Jamal, an independent MNA from Fata, and Senator Kalsoom Parveen of the BNP-A are its members.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2014