ISLAMABAD: The ruling coalition has put off consultation on possibility of holding dialogue with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) until Eid-ul-Fitr amid continued political standoff.

This was agreed during a meeting between Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman who is also Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) president.

Sources said that during a meeting at the residence of JUI-F chief, the two leaders exchanged views on the prevailing political situation of the country.

On the possibility of dialogue with the PTI, the sources maintained that the two leaders agreed to hold further deliberations on the matter after Eid-ul-Fitr.

They said that a meeting of the coalition partners will be called after the Eid for final consultations.

However, a recent meeting of the coalition partners which was chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday remained inconclusive on the matter of dialogue with PTI as certain coalition partners, including PML-N and JUI-F opposed the PPP’s proposal.

Besides the political situation, the sources added that Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also expressed his condolences to the JUIF chief over the passing away of Mufti Abdul Shakoor, a former religious affairs minister who died in a road incident recently in Islamabad. They also prayed for the departed soul.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023