Bilawal calls on Fazl at his residence, two leaders discuss political matters

ISLAMABAD: PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, along with other leaders from his party, called on Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his residence in Islamabad on Wednesday, with statements by both parties saying that political matters were discussed during the meeting.

Bilawal was accompanied by PPP leaders Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Nayyar Bukhari and Chaudhry Yasin while JUI-F’s Asad Mehmood was also present on the occasion.

A source privy to the matter told Dawn the meeting focused primarily on political matters and elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Both sides agreed to continue consultations on the matter, the source added.

The meeting took place three days after the AJK Election Commission announced on Sunday that the schedule for the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections was expected to be announced in May.

Meanwhile, elections in GB are also expected to be held later this year after the GB chief election commissioner announced in December last year that polls, earlier scheduled for January, were to be delayed due to harsh weather conditions in the region.

A senior JUI-F official signalled while speaking to Dawn that the PPP also expressed reservations during the meeting about what it described as instances of “hasty legislation” by the government.

The sources said that the two sides also discussed future legislative cooperation and agreed to maintain coordination on key parliamentary issues while PPP leaders also voiced concerns about the provisions of a possible 28th constitutional amendment.

According to the sources, Bilawal agreed with some of Fazl’s views, particularly regarding the legislative process. JUI-F chief, in turn, emphasised that rushed lawmaking could undermine the credibility of Parliament, the sources said.

They also said that Fazl was of the view that any reduction in provincial autonomy granted under the 18th Amendment should not be approved by Parliament without thorough discussions.