PDM head Fazlur Rehman is adamant that he would not have talks with PTI chief Imran Khan. He wonders about the reason for having negotiations with the former prime minister, whom he accuses of making the country default. The PTI has denied such claims.

“We do not agree with Imran Khan’s philosophy and rationale for negotiations at this time,” he told a local news channel in Dera Ismail Khan on Sunday. “I stand by my press conference verbatim.”

The statement comes a few days after a three-member bench of the Supreme Court told representatives of major political parties that it would stick to its May 14 date for elections in Punjab, but would be willing to listen if politicians were able to come up with a solution.

Earlier reports had suggested that the JUI-F chief was the loudest voice arguing against negotiations with Khan within the ruling alliance. The PPP has maintained that the door to negotiations should remain open. But the Sindh-ruling party’s chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that it would be hard to negotiate with a “gun to our head”.

Fazl went on to add that agreeing to talks with Khan amid the political atmosphere would be akin to “bowing down” as he accused his archrival of ‘bankrupting’ the economy.

Without naming Khan in his last presser, the JUI-F chief last week claimed that the whole nation was being led to “darkness” just to protect an incompetent person. He was speaking in reference to the defence ministry’s petition, which was rejected.

He reiterated that Khan’s government was constitutionally removed by a vote of no-confidence. “Imran Khan played all his cards in one year, and all turned out to be lies,” Fazl said while speaking about the change of stance by the PTI chief over the conspiracy. Khan no longer blames the US for the conspiracy and believes that it was “from inside the country”.

He added that lawmakers should clearly tell the court that they do not trust it as he criticised the Supreme Court for being divided, calling it a “shocking” turn of events.

He alleged that the top court was “pressuring” politicians to unite and negotiate while it was “divided” itself.

He was of the view that the court should also not “insult” the resolution of Parliament. The court no longer has suo motu powers, the Act has been passed by Parliament, Fazl added.

“Politicians are never of one mind, they have differences. It is the authority of the Election Commission of Pakistan to conduct the polls,” he said.

Moreover, PML-N leader Khurram Dastgir said that the date of the election cannot be determined by the court as it was the job of the ECP to announce the date.

“The basis of negotiations has to be determined,” he told reporters in Gujranwala. “The PTI refuses to accept the political status of other parties. Negotiations could not take place in this situation. They [PTI] have to recognise the PDM government.”

“If negotiations can be held on any basis.. we should all work together to make the October elections transparent and free from unconstitutional interference,” Dastgir said.

Meanwhile, the JUI-F chief has summoned an emergency meeting of the party’s central committee which is scheduled to take place in the federal capital on April 26 and is expected to last for three to four days, Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

The primary focus of the meeting would be a detailed consideration of the political situation, specifically the judicial crisis, according to JUI-F spokesman Muhammad Aslam Ghauri.

In addition, the peace and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas merger areas would also be discussed in the meeting. They would also include planning for the upcoming national and provincial assembly elections.