ISLAMABAD Nov 08 (TNS): A meeting of parliamentary parties on Wednesday again failed to make headway over the new delimitation of constituencies in the National Assembly.
Chaired by NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, the meeting ended after the parties’ representatives failed to reach a consensus.
The NA speaker said during the meeting that the government will have to be consulted if the matter can be taken up in a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) — a demand of the main opposition party, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
A similar meeting was held on Tuesday but the participants failed to reach a conclusion on the pending legislation regarding delimitation of constituencies in line with the latest census results.
However, as per Sadiq, they were all in agreement that the next general elections should not be delayed.
The representatives of political parties were tasked to consult their party leaders and come back with proposals today.
On Tuesday, sources said the PPP continued to demand that the matter should be decided in the CCI whereas the government still states that there is no need for this venture.
Last week, the parties had agreed on keeping the total number of NA seats the same and changing the quota of the provinces in light with the provisional census results.
However, when the time came to pass the appropriate legislation in the NA, the main opposition parties, PPP, PTI and MQM, backed out.
Moreover, the government lawmakers also seemed uninterested as many did not attend the NA proceedings last Thursday and Friday.
The government on Monday (Nov 6) prorogued the NA session — a decision which NA Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah criticised in a media talk today.
The ECP has said it needs Parliament to pass necessary legislation in line with the latest census if next year’s elections are to be held on time.
At present, the PPP says it wants to see elections held on time whereas the PTI has called for early elections.
