Ahead of ‘joint sitting’: Zardari, Fazl discuss potential key legislation

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday held an important meeting with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman amid reports the government was planning to summon a joint session of parliament on August 28.

The president, along with Minister for Interior Senator Mohsin Naqvi, arrived at Fazl’s residence in the federal capital.

The meeting was also attended by JUIF leaders, including Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Maulana Asad Mehmood, Aslam Ghauri and Engineer Ziaur Rehman.

Both leaders held detailed deliberation on potential key legislation likely to be tabled in the joint sitting.

Without divulging the details of the legislation, the sources said important matters, including current political situation, also came under discussion.

Political observers were giving importance to the meeting between Zardari and Fazl as it was the first visit of the president to the residence of JUIF chief after being elected.

According to sources, both expressed their commitment to continue holding talks.

Sources hinted that the presence of interior minister in the meeting indicated that security situation of the country was also discussed.

During the meeting, Zardari also gifted a gun to Maulana Fazl.

Meanwhile, the federal government has reportedly decided to summon the joint session of parliament on August 28. Sources claimed lawmakers have been instructed to ensure their presence in the meeting.

President Zardari has also summoned the session of the National Assembly on August 26 (Monday) and Senate on August 27 (Tuesday) under Article 54(1) of the Constitution.

The meeting came two days after Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to deliberate on the ongoing political situation and discuss potential key legislation.

Sources told Geo News that the coalition government led by Shehbaz took the PPP leadership into confidence on the “important legislation”.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and JUIF had reached a consensus on cooperation in the National Assembly and 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 the leaderships 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, JUIF’s Ziaur Rehman noted that the parties’ committees will decide matters on legislative issues in the National Assembly and the Senate. Ziaur Rehman further said that a two-member committee comprising Senators Shibli Faraz and Kamran Murtaza will deal with legislative matters in the upper house.

Meanwhile, talking to Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan’, Federal Minister of Information Atta Tarar said that no proposal that the appointment of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) should be notified immediately was under consideration. Notification of appointment will be decided by the Ministry of Law in due course of consultation. He said that no constitutional amendment would be brought during the joint session and no amendment related to the judiciary was under consideration.Tarar said that even in the legislative committee, there was no discussion on the amendment related to the judiciary and extension in the judges’ tenure was not currently under consideration.

He said that there was no truth in the (ongoing) speculations. The president had convened a normal session of the National Assembly, adding that there was a slight possibility of convening a joint session next week. If a joint session is called, some pending bills may be considered.

The minister said that a few months ago, there was a discussion about extending the tenure of judges, but it was not on the agenda at the moment, adding that there was no such proposal under consideration that the appointment of CJP should be notified now. He said that there was no proposal to change the seniority system of chief justice.

In response to a question, the information minister said the government and establishment did not have any direct contact with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan. He added the government had requested Khyber Pakhtunkhawa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and he forwarded the message.