STALEMATE CONTINUES OVER 20th AMENDMENT BILL

ISLAMABAD: The government of Pakistan and the opposition on Tuesday failed to build consensus on 20^th Amendment bill.

Both parties could not agree upon the procedure for setting up a caretaker government once again. Earlier on Monday, deadlock persisted over the issue and the meeting was called off for today. Federal Ministers Naveed Qamar and Khursheed Shah along with Senator Raza Rabbani called upon the Opposition Leader in National Assembly Chuadhry Nisar Ali Khan. However they failed to build consensus on the issue. The meeting was also attended by Senator Ishaq Dar. Briefing the media representatives on proceedings of the meeting, Nisar said that Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) had to get directions from the party chief Nawaz Sharif.

He, moreover, said that there was no change in his party’s stance on the issue. The opposition demanded that the caretaker government should be setup with consensus of all stakeholders. Nisar, however, hoped that ‘some progress’ would be achieved by tomorrow. He also said that the chief election commissioner could not be granted extension in his/her tenure according to the Constitution.

The PML-N leader showed his concerns over lack of consultation by the government on key issues. “Government does not consult us, it only informs,” he added. The meeting was adjourned to Wednesday.