The Supreme Court, after a brief hearing, announced completion of the hearing into the Punjab polls delay suo motu case.
The chief justice said the court will deliver an appropriate order, and is not issuing any directions or timeline regarding negotiations.
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As the impasse over the delay of elections continues, despite directives from the apex court to initiate a dialogue among political parties to decide on a date for polls, no concrete progress has been made, leaving the fate of the electoral process hanging in the balance.
The Supreme Court had resumed hearing again the elections delay case.
A three-member bench, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar was conducting the proceedings.
The CJP said the negotiations should have been held earlier, adding court verdicts, the Constitution and law are already present.
CJP Bandial said it was expected that the two sides would meet today.
The AGP said efforts will be made to hold the first meeting of the two committees today. Lawyer Shah Khawar said if both parties agree, a solution will be finalized.
Farooq H Naek told the court the Senate chairman is only facilitating talks, which will be held between political leaders.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi told the court that no one established any contacts with the PTI or him. “PTI has nominated me, Fawad Chaudhry and Ali Zafar for negotiations,” he added.
The formation of the Senate committee is only a delaying tactic, Qureshi remarked. “If the government is serious, we are ready to hold negotiations,” he stated, adding the PTI is serious about talks and ready to sit down even today.
Farooq Naek told the court the government’s nominees for the Senate committee will be finalized in 3-4 hours.
Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan apprised the court that on April 25, PML-N leaders Ayaz Sadiq and Khawaja Saad Rafique met with PTI leader Asad Qaiser. The latter told the government team he was not authorized to negotiate.
Two coalition parties had objected to holding negotiations, but a way forward was found, the AGP said, adding the Senate chairman wrote letters to the government and opposition members in the Upper House seeking four nominees each for a mediation committee.
On being asked by the CJP, Awan said they found out from the media on Tuesday that Shah Mahmood Qureshi is authorized to negotiate.
The chief justice said if the government was serious it would have taken steps itself, adding the Senate chairman is neither a representative of the government nor the opposition.
He further said the court cannot force anyone to hold negotiations, adding it only wants implementation of the Constitution. He said the court does not want justifications, but a solution.
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said political parties should not get the authority to fix the election date, otherwise no government will provide funds for elections.
