ISLAMABAD: Senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah reiterated his proposal of a four-year constitutional term for a government instead of five-year term.
“If we want the system to function properly, the term of the government and assemblies should be four years,” said Syed Khursheed Shah said in statement.
Syed Khursheed Shah was of the view that although the term is said to be five years, in reality, the government has never lasted more than three and a half to four years.
He recalled that about a decade ago, the then Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had also suggested that the four-year term should apply from the next government, and he had proposed that we should make the constitutional amendment for the purpose now.
He said the government’s four-year term would bring stability in the system and institutions. “The first three years will pass peacefully, and in the fourth year, everyone will start preparing for elections anyway,” he maintained.
Syed Khursheed Shah urged both the government and opposition benches to sit together and take a consensus decision regarding the government’s four-year term.
The PPP leader said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif should take the initiative for political talks in the current situation and then we will see the response of PTI after the invitation of the government for talks.
He said that the proposal for negotiations will not be only of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s, but the PTI also wants negotiations, but the problem is that everyone in PTI is powerless and only one person has the authority to make a decision.
Syed Khursheed Shah said that the political position of PTI is that three or four parliamentary leaders have changed and even the names to head PAC has also changed three or four times.
“Therefore, there is also the problem that if Shahbaz Sharif offers to negotiate, then with whom he should talk,” he said.
He said that the person who has power says he will talk to institutions and not to politicians. He said that the fact is that apart from one person PTI leaders want talks and off the record they are asking us for political dialogue but for talks it is necessary that someone have authority.