Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman met ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif at the latter's Jati Umra residence but reportedly failed to convince him to attend an All Parties Conference (APC) being proposed by the opposition parties.

According to DawnNewsTV, despite a two-hour-long conversation between the two leaders, Nawaz remained unwilling to commit and said he would first consult with his brother, PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif — currently being held by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) — before he can give a response regarding his participation.

Later while speaking to media, Rehman commented that PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz and other members of the family were not permitted by the NAB authorities to meet the detained leader of the opposition.

On October 16, an accountability court extended the physical remand of Shahbaz, for 14 days (till Oct 30) in the Rs14 billion Ashiyana-i-Iqbal housing scheme scam.

The JUI-F chief said it was not unusual in politics for two leaders to meet and hold discussions over various matters. Rehman said he and Nawaz were in agreement over the fact that regardless of the latter's participation, an APC was inevitable given the current political climate.

Rehman declared that the opposition rejects the incumbent government, which he said had risen to power on a stolen mandate. He further criticised the present economic status of the country, saying that as soon as the government had taken up the reigns, inflation had shot up by 300 per cent.

Prior to today's meeting between the two political leaders, PPP-Parliamentarians President Asif Ali Zardari had also referred to holding an APC in October, for which a date had not been decided.