Daily Times

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Thursday called an All Parties Conference (APC) to discuss ways to overcome the current national challenges.

The APC having representation from across the political spectrum will be held on February 7 in Islamabad as invitations have been extended to all the leading political leaders. The prime minister has also invited Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to attend the conference.

Federal Minister Sardar Ayaz Sadiq contacted PTI leaders Asad Qaiser and Pervez Khattak, and conveyed the prime minister’s invitation.

The PM also invited two representatives of the PTI to the apex committee meeting to be held in Peshawar on Friday (today), and the invitation in that regard was also conveyed by Ayaz Sadiq. The minister requested the PTI leaders to inform about the two nominated representatives of the party for the apex committee meeting.

All stakeholders including Rangers and officers of the intelligence institutions will attend the committee’s meeting at the Governor House in Peshawar.

The committee will discuss the incident of terrorism that occurred at the mosque of Police Lines Peshawar on January 30, and consider steps to eradicate terrorism and upgrade the Counter-Terrorism Department and police.

The prime minister seeks to bring heads of all political parties on the table so they can join heads and figure out ways to address “important national challenges”, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said in a statement. In this regard, she said, Federal Minister Ayaz Sadiq has begun contacting top PTI leaders – including former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser and ex-defence minister Pervez Khattak – and asked them to participate in the upcoming moot.

The invitation is a major development as the PDM-led government and the PTI have always been at loggerheads over almost all national issues, not only since Khan’s ouster from the PM Office, but even when the tables were turned. The move comes as Pakistan faces a severe threat of terrorism and distressing economic and political situations, with no signs of respite soon.

The meeting holds importance as the government faces an uphill task when it comes to terrorism. The terror attacks have witnessed a spike after the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with Islamabad in November last year.

Meanwhile, a breakthrough on the political front would bring much-needed stability to the country, as investors need assurance that the nation of 220 million people is a viable place despite all the challenges.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)-held foreign exchange reserves have also plunged to precarious levels as the cash-strapped nation desperately seeks to revive the stalled bailout programme of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Due to foreign debt payments, the central bank said its reserves fell $592 million to $3,086.2 million during the week ended on January 27, their lowest since February 2014, and are barely enough to provide import cover for 18.5 days (0.61 months).