Movement against govt after opposition’s APC

ISLAMABAD: An all parties' conference (APC) will likely be held by the end of June after which decision about launching a movement against the government will be taken, leaders of the opposition parties agreed following a meeting of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

The JUI-F chief had called on Shahbaz Sharif to discuss the joint opposition's APC and the country's political situation with him. Prior to that, he also sat down with Bilawal.

Speaking to media later, Fazlur Rehman said the APC would be held towards the end of this month, adding that all opposition parties would head forth under a joint strategy. He maintained that the “government will have to go”.

He said it was possible that more members of the Parliament may be arrested Bilawal, on the other hand, said he wanted the assemblies to complete their term in any case. “Whatever decision was made during the APC would be the collective decision of all,” he added.

The PML-N president also reiterated after meeting Fazlur Rehman that the APC would be held very soon but noted that a date would be announced after everyone was consulted. “We have decided through a consensus that an APC would be called to resolve all the problems of the Pakistani people,” Shahbaz Sharif said.

“Imran Niazi stood on a container and painted a bright picture of the future for the people,” he said, using the incumbent premier’s last name instead of the popular ‘Khan’. “However, in the past 10 months of his prime ministership, his tyrannical measures have made the common people’s life hell-like. The worst budget in Pakistan’s history was presented. We will force the government to rescind this budget,” he vowed.

Shahbaz said the he had never seen a big liar than Imran Khan in his life who is also a selected one. Fazlur Rehman said he was satisfied with outcome of the meetings with the PML-N and PPP leadership. He said removal of the government is the only solution.

Bilawal said the opposition will jointly make efforts to block the anti-people budget from passing in the National Assembly. He said the selected government wanted to put all the opposition into jail to impose the anti-people budget.

To a question about demand of the ANP for replacing the Senate chairman, Bilawal said he has not seen the statement of the ANP yet. However, Fazalur Rehman replied to the same question that the ANP would come into the APC and the issue would be discussed there.

Meanwhile, chairing the PPP’s Coordination Committee meeting, Bilawal vowed to pace up efforts to block the passage of the budget with the help of all the opposition parties. He also announced to launch the PPP’s mass public mobilisation campaign from Nawabshah on June 21 while its schedule throughout the country would also be announced shortly.

The meeting discussed in detail the public’s reaction against anti-people budget and strategy for the upcoming campaign. Bilawal said that this anti-people budget has made the nation suffer and now the people are looking at the opposition to get rid of these selected rulers. “We will not leave the poor people of Pakistan at the mercy of this government which has brought the country at the brink of complete destruction,” he said.

He said the present government has taken record loans in its 10-months tenure and pushed the country towards economic disaster. “Not a single area is left where the ‘change” has not made havoc,” he said.