Is the govt planning to engage the opposition?

ISLAMABAD: The government is thinking of engaging the opposition with the offer of early elections and undoing the law governing polls under electronic voting machines in return for the withdrawal from the National Assembly secretariat of the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Informed sources said that the government has been considering, among a limited inner party circle, to get the no-trust move against the prime minister withdrawn by holding negotiations with the opposition parties. These sources said that the government offer would include the holding of early elections and the undoing of the law regulating EVM-based polls.

When approached by this correspondent and asked if there is any thinking in government circles about engaging the opposition, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said there is a view that efforts should be made to engage the opposition to get the no-trust against the prime minister withdrawn.

Fawad Chaudhry said that even someone like him personally fears that irrespective of the fact who wins or loses in the no-trust, it would cause serious divisions among the people on the basis of their political thinking. Chaudhry said that it is in the public interest not to further fan divisive politics at this stage.

Fawad Chaudhry, without explaining what the government offer to the opposition could be in return for the withdrawal of the no-trust motion, said that he would try his level best to give an honorable exit to the opposition to get the no-trust motion withdrawn. In return, he said that the government could work with the opposition for a consensus electoral and accountability framework.

Although Fawad Chaudhry was not willing to go into the details of the electoral and accountability framework that he talked about, another source said that government circles are discussing the option of early elections. The source said that neither Pakistan nor the country’s economy can afford the consequence of the no-trust motion because of the deep polarization and political instability that could possibly follow the episode.

Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid, when contacted, said that the government has not decided to engage the opposition. He said that currently the government’s focus is to secure the support of its allies and the PTI’s disgruntled groups.

Shaikh Rashid said that Prime Minister Imran Khan is not ready for any pre-condition. He predicted that the political temperature will further rise after March 15 whereas the decisive stage will be from March 23 to 30. Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood when approached said that he is not aware of any plan to engage the opposition parties to amicably resolve the no-trust issue.