ISLAMABAD: In a significant political development, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl have reached an agreement to collaborate in both the National Assembly and the Senate, as reported on Saturday.
This breakthrough followed a meeting between a PTI delegation, led by Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and including prominent members such as Asad Qaiser, Shibli Faraz, Raoof Hasan, and Akunzada Hussain Yousufzai, and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his residence.
Traditionally political rivals, the two parties have engaged in several discussions since the February 8 elections due to mutual concerns over alleged election result manipulation and irregularities. Last month, former NA Speaker Asad Qaiser met with Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leading to a formal agreement to explore cooperation at the committee level.
Sources have revealed that PTI has formed a five-member negotiation team for talks with the JUI-F, including Chairman Gohar, Qaiser, Hasan, Faraz, and NA Opposition Leader Omar Ayub. The JUI-F’s negotiating team consists of Kamran Murtaza, Maulana Lutfur Rehman, Mufti Fazal Ghafoor, Aslam Ghauri, and Maulana Amjad.
Earlier, Maulana Fazlur Rehman claimed that PTI had agreed to resign from the assemblies and dissolve the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) legislature to push for elections. However, this claim was firmly denied by PTI Chairman Gohar.
After the meeting, PTI spokesperson Hasan emphasized that this was the initial committee-level discussion, with plans to continue meetings to enhance cooperation. JUI-F’s Maulana Ziaur Rehman added that the committees from both parties would address legislative matters, with Senators Shibli Faraz and Kamran Murtaza handling issues in the upper house.
This collaboration comes in the wake of PTI’s “resurrection” in the assemblies following the Supreme Court’s July 12 ruling, which restored the party’s eligibility for reserved seats.
Despite ongoing uncertainties due to the Election (Amendment) Bill 2024, which could impact PTI’s parliamentary future, the cooperation between PTI and JUI-F could challenge the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led coalition government, which has lost its two-thirds majority in the lower house since the court’s verdict last month.
