President presents a gun to JUI-F chief as gift during surprise meeting. Both leaders deliberate upon important constitutional amendments package to be tabled in the joint session.
ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday met Jamiat Ulama-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at latter’s residence. They discussed the overall political situation in the country.
During the meeting Minister for Interior Syed Mohsin Naqvi and JUI-F leaders were also present, says a press release issued by the President Secretariat Press Wing following the meeting. JUI-F leaders including Maulana Abdul Ghafoor, Maulana Asad Mehmood, Aslam Ghauri and Engineer Ziaur Rehman also attended the meeting.
According to official sources, both leaders held detailed deliberation on potential key legislation likely to be tabled in the joint session of the Parliament. Without giving more details of the legislation, the sources further said important matters including current political situation also came under discussion.
During the meeting, Zardari also gifted a gun to Maulana Fazl.
Meanwhile, the federal government reportedly decided to summon the joint session of Parliament on August 28. Sources claimed that the lawmakers have been directed to ensure their presence in the meeting.
President Zardari has summoned the session of the National Assembly on August 26 (Monday) and the Senate on August 27 (Tuesday) under Article 54(1) of the Constitution.
The meeting took place two days after PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to deliberate on the ongoing political situation and discuss potential key legislation. The coalition government led by PM Shehbaz took the PPP leadership into confidence on the “important legislation”.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and JUI-F had reached a consensus on cooperation in the National Assembly and the Senate. The consensus was reached following PTI leaders’ meeting with Fazl at the latter’s residence a day earlier.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan said that it was a meeting between leadership of two parties adding that negotiating teams of two sides would continue to meet and move forward in the National Assembly and the Senate with mutual consultation.
For his part, JUI-F’s Ziaur Rehman noted that the parties’ committees will decide matters regarding legislative issues in the National Assembly and the Senate.
Rehman further said that a two-member committee comprising Senators Shibli Faraz and Kamran Murtaza will deal with legislative matters in the upper house.
Sources also said that the meeting held in cordial atmosphere during which Fazl conveyed his reservation on elections and discussed matter related to KP and Balochistan.
President Asif Ali Zardari emphasised that political stability is imperative for the country keeping in view mounting challenges. Sources said President Asif Ali Zardari sought Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s cooperation for August 28 joint session of the Parliament during which constitutional amendments package is most likely to be tabled.
Inside sources told The Nation that President Asif Ali Zardari persuaded Maulana Fazlur Rehman to review his campaign/ movement against alleged rigging of February 8 elections and sought his cooperation within Parliament on which Maulana Fazlur Rehman told Asif Ali Zardari that he would think over it.
President Asif Ali Zardari Friday summoned the National Assembly and Senate sessions separately in the next week. The National Assembly has been scheduled to meet on Monday [26 August] and the Senate on Tuesday [27th August] under Article 54(1) of the Constitution. The upcoming session of the national assembly is likely to discuss a host of important matters including the government’s economic plan, electricity bills, PTI’s public meeting and other related issues.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif the other day [Thursday] said that he would unveil a five-year economic revival plan in the coming weeks. The prime minister recently discussed an economic plan with the main coalition partner and it may slightly be discussed in the house. The upcoming session of the national assembly is likely to remain in the session for two weeks.