What impact will APC have without PTI?
The government’s laziness in sending a formal delegation or invitation to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for attending the All Parties Conference (APC), and the PTI’s insistence that it will reconsider its decision regarding the APC if a formal invitation is extended, shows that both sides are missing the forest for the trees.
Political experts believe that the government should keep in view that non-participation of the PTI would not only make the proposed APC just a multi-party conference as most of the parties are already a part of the ruling alliance, but send a wrong message.
Also, they say, the onus is more on the government and a proper procedure should have been followed in inviting the PTI in order to give a message that the country’s political elite is standing united against the menace of terrorism.
However, they feel that the political divide has deepened to the extent that the PTI might not change its mind even after a delegation is sent or a formal letter is delivered, as the PTI would continue to take political advantage of the situation just like it did before 2013 elections.
Zaigham Khan, a renowned political expert, noted that former National Assembly speaker Ayaz Sadiq extended invitation to former speaker Asad Qaiser and former chief minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Pervaiz Khattak, but PTI leader Asad Umar told media that Imran Khan would not attend the APC.
“If it wasn’t an invitation then what was refused,” Khan questioned. However, he suggested that the government should go one step ahead and send a delegation with a formal letter to persuade PTI to attend the APC.
He said that Imran would still not attend the APC because “it’s part of his strategy”, which was not entirely connected with the current political situation.
Asked to explain further, Zaigham Khan said that it was linked to the PTI chairman’s decade-long strategy of avoiding saying or doing anything that could make him or his party the target of the extremists and terrorists.
Before the 2013 elections, Khan recalled, the terrorists had cleaned up two rivals of the PTI, the Awami National Party (ANP) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), from K-P. The ANP, he added, was targeted to the extent that it wasn’t even able to properly contest the elections back then.
On the one hand, that ANP workers were not even able to carry party flag or put on badges, while on the other Imran was holding rallies in Bannu and other areas. “Imran didn’t face any threat; he smoothly ran his movement and benefitted from the situation back then,” Khan added.
“He [Imran] again wants to benefit from the current situation,” Khan continued, pointing that politics was on Imran’s mind and he once again wanted that his rivals alone were targeted by the terrorists. “I don’t think anything will work or convince Imran to attend APC nevertheless the government side should fulfil formalities.”
Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) President Ahmed Bilal Mehboob seconded Khan’s viewpoint to the extent that Imran would continue to take advantage as his pronouncements against terrorists did not come with clarity.
Also, the PILDAT chief added, Imran didn’t believe in talking to his opponents as “his constituency thrives on confrontational policies”.
Nevertheless, Mehboob said that PTI’s point of view in the current situation was correct that a formal procedure should have been followed to invite the PTI for the APC, adding that the government should even have invited the PTI for finalising the agenda of the meeting.
Mehboob recalled, Imran during his own tenure in the government had avoided all meetings with the then opposition, including the one required for finalising the name of the chief election commissioner (CEC), saying that the matter was concluded through letters.
Ideally, Mehboob said, all the parties should have been present at the APC as there won’t be any strength in the final statement in the absence of consensus and sans the PTI. However, he felt, the PTI might not attend the APC even if the government sent a formal delegation and a letter because it wouldn’t suit its interests.
Several leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the PTI were approached for comments but they didn’t respond. PTI’s Shireen Mazari responded by saying that she couldn’t write a proper response as she was busy in a meeting but her party’s position was clearly stated on the issue.
APC rescheduled to Thursday
Meanwhile, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb announced on Monday that the government rescheduled the APC in Islamabad for Thursday, February 9. The APC was originally slated for February 7, but the information minister told The Express Tribune that the conference had been delayed because all the participants would be available on Thursday.
In a tweet, the minister stated that the meeting would discuss a joint strategy to combat terrorism and other challenges, and review the National Action Plan (NAP). The invitation to the conference had been extended to the entire political and national leadership of the country, she added.
Former prime minister Imran Khan was formally invited through party leaders Pervaiz Khattak, Asad Qaiser and Brig (retd) Ijaz Shah by former speaker Ayaz Sadiq. Sadiq said that Khattak, Qaiser and Shah were invited during in-person meetings, and they were asked to convey the message to Imran Khan.
Sadiq further said that nobody was invited in writing and everybody was either invited via telephone or in-person. He also took stock of the treatment meted out by the PTI to the PML-N and the PPP when it was in power.
He said that the country required unity at the moment, for which the former prime minister was not ready. On the other hand, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry denied receiving an official invitation.
The APC comes at a time when the country is witnessing an increase in terrorist activities, as evidenced by the recent suicide bombing at a mosque in Peshawar that claimed the lives of at least 101 people, mostly police officials.
At the same time, the nation is also facing economic challenges, with foreign exchange reserves down to $3.09 billion, which analysts say covers less than three weeks of imports.
The country is engaged in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a much-needed bailout programme. A successful outcome with the IMF could also lead to release of money from other platforms that are waiting for a green light from the lender.