Daily Times

The opposition leaders reiterated the demand for transparent elections, after a meeting of the all-parties conference held on Tuesday.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Ahsan Iqbal addressed media after the session.

Speaking to media, JUI-F chief Fazl demanded that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) conclude the proceedings of foreign funding case against the ruling party at the earliest. He said a committee will be formed to suggest names for a new election commissioner as well as two members of the ECP.

The veteran politician said the APC has condemned Punjab’s government move of suspending all local government institutions. “Opposition parties condemned the undemocratic suspension of local government institutions and demand the government to restore them,” he said. Struggle against the government will continue and the opposition parties will continue their protests across districts, he added.

Fazl said the APC has censured desecration of Holy Quran in Norway, and demanded the authorities to raise the matter with the Norwegian counterparts to stop such incidents in the future.

He also slammed the PTI government for ‘making the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project controversial’, and voiced concerns over the establishment of the CPEC Authority. “CPEC has been made controversial due to irresponsible statements of federal ministers,” Fazl said. “The establishment of autonomous CPEC Authority was unnecessary and against the decision of a parliamentary committee,” the JUI-F chief said.

PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal also reiterated the demand for fresh elections, saying the incumbent government, within 15 months of its rule, has destroyed the country’s governance structure. “They’re incapable of running the state’s affairs … the government is being run through presidential ordinances and unemployment is on the rise,” he said. “They have even made a mockery of a highly-sensitive post of the country.”

Nine political parties attended the conference hosted by the JUI-F leader.

Bilawal Bhutto lead his party’s delegation. Other members of the party delegation were Nayyar Bukhari, Yousuf Raza Gilani and Farhatullah Babar.

As PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz decided against attending the conference, a four-member delegation represented the party at the APC.

Other parties which attended the session were Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan and Jamiat Ahle Hadith.