ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah said on Thursday that he was willing to support Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s six demands, including the resignation of the prime minister, but in a reverse order.

Talking to newsmen after a meeting with office-bearers of the Pakistan Bar Council, Supreme Court Bar Council and representatives of civil society, Mr Shah said the PPP would be supporting PTI chief Imran Khan’s demand for resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif if it was adequately proven at a proper forum that the 2013 elections were rigged.

Otherwise, the PPP leader said, he and leaders of other parliamentary parties would strongly resist PTI’s call for removal of the PML-N government.

The PTI leadership has been insisting that the resignation of the prime minister was its top demand. Its other demands include re-election after dissolution of assemblies, electoral reforms, formation of an impartial caretaker set-up with consensus, resignation of all members of the Election Commission of Pakistan and putting all those found guilty of rigging on trial under Article 6 of the Constitution.

“Let there be free and fair investigations into the allegations which Mr Khan has levelled against various individuals regarding rigging through whatever forum the PTI leadership likes and then take it forward from there,” said Mr Shah.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Raza Rabbani, Aitzaz Ahsan, Aftab Sherpao, Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, Supreme Court Bar Association’s President Kamran Murtaza and human rights activist Asma Jahangir also attended the meeting.

Ms Jahangir said after the meeting that they were here to assure members of parliament that the legal fraternity was with them to defend supremacy of the Constitution.

“Our only concern is that if the issue is not resolved amicably, some third power may step in and take advantage of the situation, which I and other members of the bar will strongly oppose,” she said.

Kamran Murtaza said they had gathered on their own because they believed it was their duty to demonstrate solidarity with parliament and its members and play the role of a mediator if the two sides agreed.

Answeering a question, he said the office-bearers of the association would also visit the protesting parties.

He said his association had approached the government, PTI and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek when the standoff began two weeks ago, but none of them responded.

“The SCBA and PBA are still willing to play their role as defenders of democracy and human rights and will not allow anybody to disrupt democratic dispensation in the country,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jamat-i-Islami Emir Sirajul Haq said at a press conference that the only way forward for the two sides was to hold talks which they must not abandon. “I still hope the PTI and the government will realise the severity of the issue because they are fast running out of time.”

Without sharing details of his discussion with the PTI chief on Wednesday night, Mr Haq said there was a possibility of a patch-up provided they continued talks, otherwise there were serious dangers to the entire political set-up.

The JI leader said most of the PTI’s demands were the voice of the nation. The entire nation supported the demand for making the electoral process transparent. He also endorsed most of PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri’s demands.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2014