Bilawal woos more bigwigs to APC

PPP chairman Meets Fazl at his house to invite him to conference, also calls up Mengal and Sherpao

ISLAMABAD:

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday exerted himself for success of the opposition’s all-parties conference on Sunday (today), reaching out to political heavyweights of other parties to ensure their participation in the event.

The scion of the Bhutto dynasty has already managed to set all eyes on the gathering by convincing former premier and PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif to virtually participate in conference and a day later he stepped up his invitation campaign.

The PPP chairman reached the residence of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is among the most vocal of the government’s critics, to personally invite him to the APC and ensure his presence. Accompanying their party chief were former premiers Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. JUI-F leaders Akram Durrani and Maulana Attaur Rehman and Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan’s Owais Noorani were also present there.

The PPP chairman later told reporters that the Maulana had agreed to attend the APC after discussing matters at length and the opposition parties would chalk out their next course of action at the conference.

Bilawal also called up BNP-M chief Akhtar Mengal, whose party has been in a troubled alliance with the ruling PTI because of the latter’s failure to keep an agreement they had reached before joining hands. The PPP chairman thanked Mengal for sending a delegation of his party to the conference.

Similarly, Bilawal spoke with Qaumi Watan Party chief Aftab Ahmad Sherpao on the phone. The chairman of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa-based party assured him that he would participate in the conference.

A delegation comprising PPP’s Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rehman, Nayyar Bukhari and Farhatullah Babar met with PML-N leaders in Islamabad.

The PML-N leaders present on the occasion included Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Marriyum Aurangzeb.

Senior PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira, while addressing a press conference in Islamabad, said the nation was fed up with the incumbent regime and the opposition parties would evolve consensus at APC on taking a decisive action against it.

“Real power comes from the people. The government is aware that it is on shaky ground and can no longer rely on its crutches,” he added.

The opposition parties plan to broadcast Sharif and PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s address to the participants of the APC live via social media. The decision has come despite the warning of PM’s assistant Shahbaz Gill that action would be taken under the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) rules and other laws if Sharif’s address is aired on social media.

The APC, hosted by the PPP, will be co-chaired by Bilawal and Zardari.

The PML-N delegation attending the conference will be headed by party president Shehbaz Sharif and include Maryam Nawaz, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Ayaz Sadiq, Khawaja Asif, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Pervaiz Rashid, Rana Sanaullah and Marriyum Aurangzeb.

The JUI-F chief will be accompanied by Akram Durrani and Maulana Ghafoor Haideri.

ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan and PkMAP Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai are also expected to attend the event.

The participants of the conference will announce their strategy against the PTI government that might include a countrywide protest campaign.