Summary PTI and JUI-F have agreed to coordinate opposition activities in parliament and pursue consultations on national issues, including security, provinces and prisoners.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) have agreed to move forward with a joint opposition strategy in the Senate and National Assembly, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said on Friday following talks with JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
Speaking to the media after the meeting in Islamabad, Barrister Gohar said opposition parties would adopt a coordinated approach inside parliament and seek broader political consultation on issues of national importance.
He described Friday's meeting as the first formal consultation regarding the joint opposition and said further meetings would be held to determine its future course of action.
According to the PTI chairman, the two sides agreed that political parties should be taken into confidence on major national issues rather than important decisions being addressed without broader consultation.
The opposition parties also discussed convening an All Parties Conference (APC) to deliberate on key national challenges, including proposals concerning new provinces and other political and security matters.
Barrister Gohar said issues concerning parliamentary sessions and prisoners would also be discussed through the joint opposition platform, with decisions to be taken through mutual consultation.
The development signals an effort by PTI and JUI-F to strengthen parliamentary coordination despite their political differences and establish a broader opposition platform in both houses of parliament.
APC on security, new provinces discussed
JUI-F Secretary-General Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri welcomed the opposition delegation and confirmed that holding an APC was discussed during the consultative meeting.
He said proposals concerning the creation of new provinces and several other important national matters came under discussion.
Haideri said the proposed conference could also address the deteriorating security situation and terrorism in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said Pakistan was facing multiple challenges and the opposition would seek to play its role in addressing them.