With the government-opposition negotiations seemingly stuck in the political mud and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) threatening to march on the capital, a senior government official on Wednesday made a quiet visit to the residence of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
Officially, it was a courtesy call by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq to congratulate the veteran politician on performing Umrah. Politically, however, the timing was hard to ignore.
The meeting came a day after opposition leaders descended on Fazl's residence, keeping alive speculation that the JUI-F chief could once again emerge as a bridge between the two warring sides.
Sadiq, who has been involved in efforts to keep political channels open, played down the political dimension of the meeting, describing Fazl as his "brother" and stressing that their relationship went beyond politics to personal and family ties.
"I came to congratulate the Maulana on performing Umrah," Sadiq told reporters after the meeting, adding that the two had met after about a month and a half.
The media talk soon turned towards the heated political situation in the country, with talks between the government and opposition having broken down, while the PTI is embarking on a long march towards the federal capital to press for relief for party founder Imran Khan.
Sadiq said he remained in telephone contact with opposition members. "Important political matters were discussed during the meeting with the JUI-F chief," he said, according to Express News. "Efforts are afoot to find a political way forward for the betterment of Pakistan."
At the meeting, the National Assembly speaker was accompanied by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry. Sadiq said there was always hope and that a better way forward would emerge.
"A political path is being found for the betterment of Pakistan," he said when asked about the political situation and contacts with the opposition. Asked specifically about backdoor contacts with the opposition, he said he regularly spoke to fellow parliamentarians by telephone.
The meeting came a day after Senate Opposition Leader Raja Nasir Abbas, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser and other opposition leaders met Fazl at his residence to discuss the prevailing political situation, negotiations with the government and a proposed All-Parties Conference (APC).
Fazl said after Tuesday's meeting that the government had left little room for meaningful political negotiations and called for a joint political agenda through an APC. He maintained that political and democratic forces believed in negotiations, while urging a political approach to the country's problems.
The latest contacts, with both sides visiting Fazl, followed the failure of government-PTI talks last week, which had been facilitated by Sadiq and were aimed at easing tensions ahead of the PTI's October 4 long march. Both sides blamed each other for the failure of the talks.
On Wednesday, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan renewed his call for unconditional negotiations, saying dialogue should continue until a solution was reached. He criticised the post-talks statements, saying that taking disagreements outside the negotiating forum had damaged mutual trust.
"Political issues should be discussed without conditions and negotiations should continue until an agreement is reached," Gohar said. "It was wrong to come out and issue statements after talks ended," the PTI chairman added.
Also on Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the PTI to "come to its senses, abandon long march and hold talks" with the government. Gohar, however, said the government had made its offer of talks conditional, whereas the PTI was prepared to negotiate unconditionally if an offer was made.
Gohar said the PTI's demands were straightforward and included meetings with Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi. He also warned against resorting to "any unconstitutional situation", including the imposition of governor's rule or an emergency in K-P, stressing that political issues should be resolved through dialogue.
Regarding the PTI march, Gohar said Islamabad belonged to everyone and there was no reason for the procession not to reach the capital. He said it would reach Islamabad according to schedule on October 11 or 12, arguing that the continuation of the march should not be interpreted as weakness.
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