ISLAMABAD, November 4: An All Parties Conference (APC) of the opposition parties on Monday decided to continue sit-in for two more days.
The decision was taken during an all parties conference summoned by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman for planning a joint course of action for the Azadi marchers to proceed for increasing pressure on the government. All opposition parties had been invited to attend the APC.
Sources said that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supported to continue sit-in for two more days. The PPP and PML-N are not against staging sit-in at Peshawar Mor but against staging sit-in at D-Chowk.
Both the opposition parties opposed marching towards D-Chowk and staging sit-in. Sources further said that the sit-in would continue until the government’s negotiating team and opposition’s Rehbar
Committee reach any conclusion.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in National Assembly and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari have not attended an all-party conference headed by Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal had announced that party president Shehbaz Sharif would not attend the conference, and the party delegation will instead be lead by former NA speaker Ayaz Sadiq.
Iqbal made the announcement after the PML-N decided to throw its full support behind the JUI-F led Azadi March. Ahsan was speaking to the media after a party meeting held under PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif’s chairmanship ended in Lahore.
Iqbal added that the PML-N’s point of view will be presented before the Rehbar committee, adding that opposition should stand on a united platform in their struggle against the government.
Yesterday, following a meeting of JUI-F leadership, veteran politician Fazlur Rehman decided to continue the sit-in protest campaign. The meeting discussed the Rehbar Committee’s recommendations including resignations, shutter down strike across the country and countywide wheel-jam strike.
The JUI-F chief decided to summon an APC on the issue of sit-in, while head of the Rehbar Committee Akram Durrani has been tasked to contact the opposition parties for the APC.-NNI
