PDM govt should send 'written' invitation for APC, says Pervez Khattak

• Invitation over phone is not correct, says PTI leader.
• PDM leaders went to jail due to their deeds, Khattak says.
• Can talk to govt if they give date for elections, former KP CM says.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Pervez Khattak on Saturday said that if the federal government was serious about inviting the party to the all parties conference (APC) on February 7, then they should send them a written invitation.

Talking to journalists outside Zaman Park Lahore, the former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister said that inviting the party over a phone call was not the correct way. He asked the PDM government to give a clear policy on how the country will come out of the current quagmire.

Pervez said that the establishment is trying to remain neutral but the government does not want that to happen.

He said that the PTI was ready to engage with the PDM government if it gave an election date. "But the government is not serious about it," he added.

The senior PTI leader added that the PDM leaders were not put in jail by the their government, they went to jail because of their deeds.

The former KP CM denied the news about the absence of a forensic laboratory in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), saying the province has a forensic laboratory.

PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that on one side the government was inviting the PTI for the APC and on the other side, victimising the party's leaders. 

Interacting with media persons in Lahore, he said if the government wanted to unite the nation, it should first stop victimisation of PTI leaders.

Qureshi added that the PDM's agenda is not compatible with the national agenda. The PDM government has completely failed, he said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Thursday invited PTI Chairman Imran Khan to an APC aimed at finding solutions to surmount the daunting economic and political crises. 

The prime minister sought to bring heads of all political parties to the table so they can join heads and figure out ways to address "important national challenges", Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said in a statement. 

The invitation was thought to be a major development as the PDM-led government and the PTI have always been at loggerheads over almost all national issues since Khan's ouster from the PM Office.

The move comes as Pakistan faces a severe threat of terrorism and distressing economic and political situations, with no signs of respite soon.