Opposition agrees on Fazl-led APC towards month's end

Removing PTI govt only solution to country's woes, says JUI-F chief as he meets Shehbaz, Bilawal

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Leaders of all three key opposition parties on Monday agreed to decide their joint course of action against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government through an opposition parties’ conference to be announced soon.

This consensus was reached when Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman at the National Assembly and discussed an anti-government campaign.

According to sources, the leaders weighed various options ranging from going for midterm election after toppling the government to prospects of an in-house change. However, all the three leaders decided to take a future course of action in an APC, whose date also came under consideration.

Speaking to media after the meeting, Shehbaz Sharif called Prime Minister Imran the biggest liar in the country’s history. "Actions of the past 10 months have made lives of common men miserable. We will join hands with the common man to force the government to withdraw this anti-poor budget."

Earlier, Bilawal said the government that came to power through rigging wants to pass the federal budget also through rigging. “The PPP wants the government to complete its term but in-house changes can be made,” he said.

Fazlur Rehman said the only solution to the current situation is toppling the government. “The decision made by the APC to be held in the last 10 days of June will be acceptable to all,” he added.

The opposition leaders demanded that the NA speaker must issue production orders for the lawmakers who are currently under custody. They said the government wants to deprive the arrested MNAs of their right to vote and this is the reason why the production orders are not being issued.

Shehbaz said during the meeting a detailed discussion was held on the country's economic and political situation. He accused the ‘selected’ PM of destroying the economy. He said the leaders also discussed the country’s foreign policy. It has been agreed that an APC be called soon to debate all such issues.

“A decision will be taken after mutual consultation and on basis of collective wisdom,” he added.

He accused the government of presenting an anti-people budget, which, he said, was the opposite of the promises that Imran Khan used to make while standing on a container in 2014.  “The country is facing humiliation all over the world due to the selected PM,” he added.

Bilawal also addressed the media and said the ideologies of the PPP and the JUI-F are different “but history tells us that we have struggled together”. He said the country is facing economic and political losses due to ‘the dummy’ govt.

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“We will join hands to save the nation from this loss. The government is making the current budget on the orders of the International Monetary Fund. We will not let the government pass this budget. We are sure that the public can be saved from this budget,” he said.

The JUI-F chief also rejected the budget saying it was an anti-nation and anti-poor budget. He said the budget had been made by an IMF's representative while the nation has been made an economic slave. "Dollar has hiked to Rs157 now how can the common man survive,” he asked.

The JUI-F chief said it is unacceptable that one party be imposed over all others according to a foreign agenda. “A decision will be taken in the APC which will be acceptable to all,” he added.