ISLAMABAD: PML-N likely to announce date for APC today
By Amir Wasim
ISLAMABAD, July 19: Pakistan Muslim League (N) is likely to announce the date for its All Parties Conference (APC) on Sunday (today), acting party president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi told Dawn here on Saturday.
The PML-N has announced to hold the APC ahead of the government-opposition talks on controversial Legal Framework Order (LFO) in the federal capital in an effort to reach a consensus on a uniform position to be taken by the component parties of the opposition on different issues during talks with the government
Mr Hashmi said he had extended formal invitation to all opposition leaders individually and all of them had accepted it.
He was of the view that the government had been forced to initiate dialogue with the opposition, as the APC convened by the MMA in Lahore was a great success. All the opposition leaders proved it to the government that they were united despite attempts to create a rift among them.
He conceded that his party differed with the MMA over issue of president’s uniform, but said all opposition parties were united on one-point that the LFO could not be a part of the Constitution without approval by two-third majority in parliament.
Mr Hashmi, however, expressed the hope that the opposition parties would reach a consensus and go for talks with the government on a uniformed agenda. He said it would be final round of talks with the government.
Political circles believe the APC would be very important and determine the possible outcome of the proposed government- opposition talks on the LFO. They say the PML-N is the only real opposition and by convening the APC, it is trying to unite all other opposition parties and to keep them in the fold of “combined opposition.”
The APC is likely to be attended by leaders from all opposition parties including the People’s Party Parliamentarians, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf, Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party and Jamhoori Watan Party.
