Opposition APC on 20th

Leaders to discuss options of in-house change, fresh elections

ISLAMABAD:

The opposition parties have announced they will hold an all parties conference (APC) in Islamabad on September 20, which will discuss options of seeking an in-house change of the government or demand fresh elections.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the Rahbar Committee, chaired by Akram Durrani. During the meeting, the smaller opposition parties cast doubts about the role of major parties, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

According to sources, Usman Kakar said that the PPP and the PML-N had not openly supported the opposition before and asked what would the guarantee they would not betray them this time. However, both the PML-N and the PPP leaders assured that they were with the opposition.

Talking to the media after the meeting, Durrani announced the holding of the APC on September 20. “The APC agenda includes free and fair elections without interference. The APC will decide whether to seek in-house change or something else,” he told reporters.

Durrani, the convenor of the Rahbar Committee, rejected the rumours in the media that the opposition was divided. The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader stressed that the unity among the opposition ranks was the need of the hour.

Responding to a query about the blocking of the legislation in the Senate relating to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations, Raja Pervez Ashraf of the PPP said that the opposition was willing to meet the FATF recommendations but the government itself bulldozed the legislation.

“We were ready and willing to do whatever the FATF has recommended but the government itself bulldozed the bills. We do not want any legislation that the government could use against the opposition. It is ridiculous that we are opposing the FATF-related bills for an NRO.

Ahsan Iqbal of the PML-N slammed Prime Minister Imran Khan for saying that the opposition and India had the same position regarding FATF. “Imran Khan has surrendered Kashmir. India has devoured Kashmir but the government remains a silent spectator,” he alleged.

Taking a jibe at the government, Iqbal said that Prime Minister Imran Khan should have shown the same speed on Kashmir issue with which he was making cases against the opposition. “Yet, they are issuing certificates of treason to the opposition. What kind of democracy is this?”