Pakistan government, PTI to hold "final" round of negotiations on election date today

Islamabad [Pakistan], May 2 : The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are set to hold their "final" round of negotiations on election date today, Pakistan-based Geo News reported.

The negotiations between the coalition government and the main opposition party, earlier scheduled at 11 am, will now take place at 9 pm in Senate Secretariat, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjr said in a statement.

According to the Senate chairman, the change was made due to the busy schedules of the members of the negotiation committees from both sides. "The new negotiation timings are expected to help facilitate the discussions between the government and PTI to address pressing issues in the country."

PTI Chairman Imran Khan, hours before the negotiations, said that he is ready for simultaneous elections if the PDM dissolves all assemblies, Sindh, Balochistan, and national, before May 14, the date Supreme Court has set for Punjab's polls.

PTI Secretary General Asad Umar in conversation with journalists in Karachi, said that the PDM-led government's intentions are not good about the negotiations.

According to Geo News, the talks are being held to end an impasse over the timing of general elections across the country, which has fuelled political tensions in the country, with the Supreme Court also urging the political forces to negotiate and find out a solution to the prevailing political turmoil.

The top court earlier directed the political parties to decide on the election date by April 26, but no progress was made till the deadline. In the April 25 hearing, the apex court mentioned that it cannot ask parties to hold negotiations forcefully.

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif while talking to Geo News' programme Capital Talk, called the ousted prime minister a "confused person" who backtracks on a majority of his decisions.

"I believe, we should not be negotiating with a person like this," he said, while also asking the Supreme Court to end its "infighting" instead of asking political parties to negotiate.

Federal Minister Mian Javed Latif has also spoken against the talks and said that negotiations aren't conducted with terrorists' wings.

"Talks are never held with those who throw petrol bombs nor with those who are instruments of world powers. Negotiations are not held with those who talk about Mir Jaffer, Mir Sadiq," Latif said, as quoted by Geo News.