All Parties Conference to be held on June 26: JUI-F spokesperson

Published June 23, 2019
In this file photo, opposition parties' leaders hold a press conference at Zardari House after an iftar-dinner hosted by Bilawal. — AFP
In this file photo, opposition parties' leaders hold a press conference at Zardari House after an iftar-dinner hosted by Bilawal. — AFP

The much-anticipated All Parties Conference (APC) of the opposition parties shall be held on June 26, said a statement issued on late Saturday night by the spokesperson of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party.

The gathering of opposition parties, which shall convene at 11am, will finalise a joint strategy against the government, according to the statement.

Senior party members of the PPP, PML-N, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) and Awami National Party (ANP) are expected to attend the conference which shall be hosted by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

The meeting shall be chaired by the JUI-F chief during which important decisions regarding the joint strategy shall be made, including a possible "lockdown" against the government, said the statement.

Among other items on the agenda will be a change in the Senate leadership and the passing of the recently presented budget for 2019-20.

Furthermore, it will be debated upon whether the opposition will accept the Commission of Inquiry formed by Prime Minister Imran Khan, for which the terms of reference were announced on Friday.

According to the statement, the venue for the conference is yet to be decided. However, Maulana Fazlur Rehman expressed the confidence that it will be finalised tomorrow (Sunday).

Post-Eidul Fitr APC

In May, during Ramazan, leaders of the opposition parties had announced their plans to "launch protests inside and outside the parliament after Eidul Fitr" and hold an APC to "chalk out a joint strategy on how to tackle the problems facing Pakistan".

The announcement was made following an iftar dinner hosted by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Asif Ali Zardari which was attended by a delegation of arch rivals-turned-allies PML-N and other major opposition parties.

The JUI-F chief had at the time said that "Pakistan is emerging as a weak country in the world due to some incapable people ascending to power."

Rehman said that "during the APC a joint strategy for all opposition parties will be identified so as to stabilise this sinking ship".

PML-N's Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had said that "there is an agreement among opposition parties that the government has failed to run this country."

Meanwhile, National Party chief Mir Hasil Bizenjo had said the APC "will give birth to a new and historic opposition alliance." He further said that "the opposition can overturn the incumbent government tomorrow if it wants but that's not the only issue as there are now a plethora of other problems facing the country."

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