• President calls on JUI-F chief at his residence to discuss ‘overall current political situation’
• Observers link huddle to upcoming National Assembly, Senate sessions, possible constitutional amendment
• Tarar says govt has no plans to table legislation regarding judiciary

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday visited the residence of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman ahead of the upcoming sessions of both houses of parliament, fuelling speculations that the coalition government intends to table some key legislation.

President Zardari, known for his political manoeuvring during crucial times, called on the JUI-F chief a day after the Maulana reportedly agreed with the opposition PTI to have a joint strategy to give a tough time to the government in parliament. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accompanied the president during the meeting, which was also attended by some close confidants of the Maulana.

The President Secretariat issued a brief handout, stating that the president and the Maulana discussed “the overall current political situation in the country”. Besides the handout, there was no official word from any side on the development.

Political experts consider the meeting to be a significant move, linking it with the upcoming National Assembly and Senate sessions. The president has already summoned the NA and Senate sessions on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

Some political observers believe that the president might have tried to prevent the Maulana from announcing any agitation against the government and might have made some “offers” to him in return.

President Zardari is believed to have a good personal relationship with the JUI-F leader and the two had together played a key role in the ouster of PTI’s government in April 2022 through a vote of no confidence against then-prime minister Imran Khan.

Later, the JUI-F remained a partner with PPP in the coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. However, the Feb 8 elections caused a strain in the relationship between the two parties when Maulana Fazl refused to join the ruling coalition, accusing the PPP and PML-N of manipulating the elections with the help of the establishment.

On Friday, the Maulana received a PTI delegation headed by party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan to discuss future cooperation between the parties sitting on the opposition benches.

Following the huddle, PTI leader Asad Qaiser claimed that both sides had decided to cooperate on an “issue to issue and agenda to agenda” basis, and as the first phase of their joint strategy, agreed to make efforts to block “controversial” legislation that the government was planning to table next week.

He had said both sides had nominated their respective representatives in parliament to devise a joint strategy to counter the government.

On Aug 20, the JUI-F chief in an interaction with journalists at his Dera Ismail Khan residence stated that he would not become part of any alliance in light of his past experiences and opt for a solo flight instead. Maulana Fazl said he would run a movement against the inc­umbent government alone while continuing to cooperate with opposition parties on common issues.

‘Key legislation’

Meanwhile, the electronic media ran speculative reports that the government was planning to bring some important legislation during the upcoming sessions of the two houses of parliament and that it also had a plan to call a joint sitting of parliament next week. There were also rumours that the government was planning to extend the tenure of Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, who is set to retire in the last week of October, through some legal instrument or a constitutional amendment.

However, when contacted by Dawn, Federal Minister for Information Ataullah Tarar refuted these reports, stating that the upcoming sessions of the National Assembly and Senate were a routine affair to fulfil a constitutional requirement regarding the number of sittings in a year.

The minister categorically stated that the government had no plan to bring any legislation regarding the judiciary or change the seniority rules for judges, adding that there was no such thing on the agenda for the upcoming parliamentary sessions.

He said if the government decided to convene a joint sitting of the parliament, then it would only be for the purpose of passing some bills which had been sent back by former president Arif Alvi with objections, like the one regarding the appointment of the Federal Public Service Commission chairman.

Nawab of Bahawalpur

Separately, Nawab of Bahawalpur Salahuddin Ahmed Abbasi and his son Bahawal Khan Abbasi called on President Zardari at the President’s House.

The president commended the services rendered by the Nawab of Bahawalpur and his family, especially in Paki­stan’s social sector.

In the meeting, they discussed the overall situation of the country and southern Punjab.

President Zardari said all stakeholders and political parties should get together for the development and prosperity of the country.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2024