ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s opposition parties announced on Sunday that they would convene an All-Parties Conference (APC) after Eid to formulate a joint strategy against the government for what they called its failure to arrest the rising inflation and deteriorating economy.
Senior leaders from around 10 opposition parties including jailed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter, Maryam Nawaz, gathered at Zardari House in Islamabad for an iftar-dinner that was hosted by Pakistan Peoples Party’s chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and decided to launch protests both inside and outside the Parliament after Eid Al-Fitr – the religious festival that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
The opposition parties’ call for the protest and formulation of a joint strategy against the government comes in the backdrop of inflation that is at its highest in five years, Pakistani rupee hitting all-time low against the US dollar and the stock market crashing to the worst in 17 years.
“All issues including economy, security, foreign policy and human rights came under discussion in today’s meeting …. and we have unanimously decided to chalk out a joint strategy to address these issues and protest against the government in an APC after Eid,” PPP chairman announced while addressing a joint press conference after the iftar-dinner.
He said the common man was bearing the brunt of the rising inflation, but the government seemed unwilling to address the problems faced by the general public. “If the economy is not fixed, the country may face an irreparable loss,” he said.
Zardari said the opposition parties may have a different viewpoint on certain issues, but “when the country is in danger, we all have to play our role to save it.”
Representatives of the opposition parties, however, clarified that they do not want to dislodge Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government through protests and instead want to address “genuine issues” of the public including inflation and economy. Khan’s party – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) – was voted to power in July last year that promised to fix deteriorating economy, eradicate poverty, create jobs and build an Islamic welfare state.
“It is not our target to overthrow this government,” PML-N senior leader and ex-premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said, “but we want to address issues of the public that this government has failed to do.”
He said the people have “lost all hope” in the government and that it was now the responsibility of the opposition parties to play their role to steer the country out of crisis.
PML-N vice president, Maryam Nawaz, criticized the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for carrying out selective accountability and suppressing leaders of the opposition parties only. “This is a discredited institution and its reality stands exposed in front of everyone,” she said.
Chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazal) Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman is mandated by all the opposition parties to convene the APC after Eid to devise a joint anti-government strategy. Rehman has been struggling to forge an alliance of the opposition parties against the government since his historic defeat in the general elections last year.
Among other leaders attending the iftar-dinner were Mian Iftikhar of Awami National Party, chief of Qaumi Watan Party Aftab Sherpao, Shah Awais Noorani and representatives of National Party and Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party.
Reacting to the opposition parties get-together, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan said they all gathered to “protect their looted wealth” and wanted to pressurize the government through threats of agitation.
“They don’t have an agenda for public welfare, instead want to protect their ill-gotten wealth stashed abroad,” she added.