Opposition’s big meet today to work out anti-govt move

ISLAMABAD: The joint opposition’s all parties conference (APC) called by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman will be held at a hotel in Islamabad on Wednesday (today) to decide the strategy for launching a movement against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Awami National Party (ANP), the Aftab Sherpao-led Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), the National Party and the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) will attend the conference.

Despite Fazl meeting Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq and inviting him to the conference, his party has decided to stay away from the event.

An important coalition of the ruling PTI, Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), has not yet confirmed whether it would participate in the APC or not. According to sources, the party’s chief, Akhtar Mengal, might attend the conference in case the BNP-M’s talks with the government do not pan out.

The sources said the APC’s agenda includes chalking out a strategy to prevent the government from having the budget for the new fiscal year passed in its present form and also deciding the schedule of the rallies that will be held as part of the anti-government movement.

The date for shutting down Islamabad will also be announced.

PPP delegation

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has nominated a five-member delegation for participation in the APC. They include party leaders Yousuf Raza Gillani, Raza Rabbani, Nayyar Bukhari, Sherry Rehman and Farhatullah Babar.

In a statement, Farhatullah Babar said a meeting of the PPP parliamentary party will be held at the Parliament House in the morning before attending the APC to discuss the strategy for rejecting the budget through cut motions.