Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif has reportedly refused to attend an all parties conference being planned by the opposition parties.
Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman held a meeting with Nawaz Sharif at his Jati Umra residence on Sunday to convince him to attend the APC scheduled for October 31. However, he failed to convince Nawaz to attend the APC. Despite a two-hour-long conversation between the two leaders, Nawaz remained unwilling to commit and reportedly said he would first consult with his brother and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif – currently being held by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) – before he can give a response regarding his participation in the conference.
“PML-N does not immediately want to be part of any anti-government movement. They (PTI) are digging their own grave and their performance is in front of everyone, so we want to give them the opportunity to show their failures to the nation,” Nawaz reportedly told Fazl. “Moreover, Shehbaz is now the party president and he is currently in NAB’s custody which is why he could not be consulted over the matter,” Nawaz was further quoted as saying. “The PML-N president will attend a National Assembly session on Monday where we will consult him over the APC and inform you regarding the decisions taken,” he told the JUI-F chief, as per sources.
A high-level delegation of the PML-N is likely to attend the conference instead. Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz and senior PML-N leader Pervaiz Rashid also attended the meeting.
While speaking to media after the meeting, Fazl said it was not unusual in politics for two leaders to meet and hold discussions over various matters, adding that he and Nawaz were in agreement over the fact that regardless of the latter’s participation, an APC was inevitable given the current political climate.
Fazl said Hamza Shahbaz and other members of the family were not permitted by the NAB authorities to meet the detained leader of the opposition. He said Nawaz Sharif will make a decision to attend the APC after holding consultation with Shehbaz.
Fazl said the opposition does not consider the present government as a legitimate set-up, as it has come through a ‘fake mandate’. He said there can be contentions over political issues but the matters of public interest should take precedence. He said they are focusing on the social and economic issues which the people of the country are facing right now.
While responding to a question regarding the alleged Israeli jet arriving in Islamabad, Fazl said the government has not given a clear answer on the matter. They deliberately released the technical details so that the issue could not be comprehended fully, he said. “I already said if PTI government is formed, then it will take side with the Jewish lobby,” he added. The development comes a day after Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari said that he or his party were not interested in toppling the PTI government. Addressing a press conference in Lahore on Saturday, the former president had said that he wanted the PTI to fail and leave the government. About the upcoming APC against the government, he had said that the initiative was taken by Maulana Fazlur Rehman and it was yet to be seen if the conference sees the light of the day or not.
Published in Daily Times, October 29th 2018.