With negotiations over elections set to enter their third round on Tuesday, Syed Naveed Qamar expressed hope that a solution was near.

Qamar, who is part of the government team, said that the time had come for a solution to be found to end the political crisis in the country. He was speaking to Asma Shirazi in Aaj TV’s program Faisla Aap Ka.

He said that the Pakistan Peoples Party has always favoured dialogue as the only way out of the current impasse and negotiations are always begun with the sincere aim of reaching a solution.

Qamar also added that no institution needs to become part of the process and the matter should be resolved by politicians themselves.

“If we (politicians) cannot even find a way out of this crisis, then what can we do?” he said.

He said that there had been many periods in the country’s history when politicnas had to rely on other institutions to solve problems that were political in nature. He said that if the parliament was now trying to solve a political crisis, then the space cannot be ceded to anyone else.

Asked about the PTI’s conditions of dissolving assemblies by May 14, Qamar said that negotiations cannot be entered with conditions. He also added that one side cannot simply refuse to hold elections out of fear of losing. Both sides will have to show flexibility, he said.

He did add that there was no deadlock and was ‘hopeful’ a solution could be reached. He added that any holdup, if there was one, was from Imran Khan’s side. He advised Khan to let the people he had chosen to represent him find a solution.

The PTI and the government met to talk about elections on Thursday and Friday and are set to resume talks on Tuesday. Hopes have been expressed from both sides that a solution, presumably an election date in August or September, could be close. However, the higher leaderships of both camps have also reportedly shown that they are not willing to compromise too much.