Fazl refuses PML-N, PPP's suggestion to postpone June 26 APC

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman refused to postpone the date of the All Parties Conference (APC) and said it will be held as per schedule on June 26 (tomorrow).

According to sources, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had proposed changing the date of the APC from June 26 due to the ongoing budget session.

However, the JUI-F chief refused to change the date and said there was no point in postponing the conference if the opposition did not accept the budget. If the opposition did not accept the budget there was no need for them to be a part of the National Assembly session on it, Fazl said, according to sources. 

A day earlier, the JUI-F chief called opposition leaders to formally invite them for the APC on June 26.

The JUI-F leader called PML-N leaders Maryam Nawaz, Shehbaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto, among others.

JUI-F chief Fazl couldn’t establish contact with government’s coalition partner Akhtar Mengal as he was abroad. He added Mengal has assured him of his presence at the APC session.

Balochistan National Party has summoned a session of party leaders to discuss the decision regarding the APC.

The APC will host the representatives of opposition parties at Islamabad to formulate a joint strategy for future course-of-action against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

The opposition parties will consult on the change of Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, preventing the budget from getting passed from both houses, anti-government movement and a possible lockdown of the capital city in the APC.

The opposition leaders decided to convene an APC in an Iftar dinner hosted by the PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.