Opposition holds 'All Parties Conference'
Senior leaders of many political parties are attending the multiparty conference.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – As the opposition parties seem to have accelerated their preparedness and formation of a joint strategy for giving a ‘real tough time’ to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led federal government, the opposition parties have called All Parties Conference (APC) in Islamabad today, Dunya News reported.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazl-ur-Rehman is presiding over the APC for formulating a joint strategy and future course-of-action against the government.
Meanwhile, the veteran politician has urged all opposition political parties to observe a “black day” on July 25 as what he said worst election rigging had happened that day [while referring to July 25, 2018 when PTI secured majority of the seats in the National Assembly and came into power].
Importantly, Fazl has also urged opposition members of the National Assembly to tender their resignation from the House.
Senior leaders of many political parties are attending the APC.
A five-member delegation of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) comprising of former premier Yousaf Raza Gillani, former chairman of the Senate Raza Rabbani, Nayyar Bukhari, Sherry Rehman and Farhatullah Babar are representing their party. Later, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also arrived in the conference.
A 14-member delegation of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led by its president Shehbaz Sharif and vice-president Maryam Nawaz are also attending the APC.
Other party leaders of the PML-N including Raja Zafarul Haq, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Amir Muqam, Abdul Qadir Baloch, Shah Muhammad Shah, Marriyum Aurangzeb and Ranasana Ullah are also invited to participate in the APC.
Maryam Nawaz has already arrived in Islamabad for that purpose.
Besides, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, and delegations from Awami National Party (ANP) and JUI-F are also attending the APC.
On the other hand, Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) chief Akhtar Mengal has decided not to participate in the APC after holding an advisory meeting. He forwarded a written message to the JUI-F chief via Maulana Asad Mehmood.
Later, Prime Minister Imran Khan held a meeting with a delegation of the BNP-M led by Mengal. Both leaders examined the progress on Mengal’s six-point agenda and development works in Balochistan.
The ANP has suggested all opposition parties to put a joint effort for changing the chairman of the Senate.
On June 24, Fazl formally invited several prominent leaders of different political parties to attend the opposition’s APC, and had a telephonic conversation with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif, Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, National Party (NP) chief Hasil Bizenjo and Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Siraj-ul Haq, Allama Sajid Naqvi, Jamat Ahle Hadees leader Prof Sajid Mir and Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP) Owais Noorani have also been invited to the opposition’s APC.
The APC is also aimed at discussing possibilities of launching an anti-government protest campaign from a single platform.
On June 17, the veteran politician Fazl met Bilawal at his residence, and later held a meeting with Shehbaz after a session of the National Assembly (NA) to examine and focus on time, place and the agenda of the APC.
Recent political strife between the opposition and the PTI has gained new heights following the arrests of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, his sibling Faryal Talpur and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader and the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in different corruption cases.
