Imran turns down PM’s APC invite

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan will not attend the All-Party Conference (APC) called by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif next week to mull over the growing threat of extremism and terrorism in the country.

The PTI also declined an invitation from the prime minister for participating in an apex committee meeting in Peshawar on Friday to discuss the Police Lines mosque tragedy, in protest against the policies of the incumbent government.

PTI General Secretary Asad Umar confirmed on Friday that Imran would not attend the APC called by the prime minister. “How Imran Khan could sit with the incumbent government while false cases are being filed against the PTI leaders,” Umar told media personnel outside the Lahore High Court (LHC).

On Thursday, Prime Minister Shehbaz had called the APC on February 7 and invited all the national political leaders, including Imran Khan, to mull over the growing threat of extremism and terrorism and ways to overcome the current national challenges.

According to an official statement, federal minister Ayaz Sadiq contacted two PTI leaders, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser and former defence minister Pervez Khattak and invited Imran Khan to participate in the APC on behalf of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan, meanwhile, slammed the ruling coalition, reiterating that he did not recognise “this imported government installed through conspiracy and horse-trading". In a tweet, he lamented the 10 months of "fascist" rule of the incumbent coalition.

"How can Shehbaz Sharif be so shameless given his government's destruction in 10 months of our economy and democracy with brazen fascism, end of fundamental rights and rule of law; and allowing terrorism to spread under his watch?" the tweet read.

The tweet also shared a brief summary of the “political persecution” in the country as alleged by the PTI, including the “murder” of journalist Arshad Sharif, an “assassination attempt” at Imran himself as well as the “arrests and torture” of PTI leaders including Shahbaz Gill, Azam Swati and others.

Meanwhile, former PTI lawmaker in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Shaukat Yousafzai stated that the PTI leadership had decided against participating in the apex committee meeting in protest against the policies of the incumbent government.