‘Ready to bury the hatchet for peace in country’, Asad Qaiser tells govt

• “National unity is the need of the hour," says former NA speaker.
• Qaiser says coalition government verbally invited PTI to APC.
• “National harmony is out of question amid govt’s unconstitutional behavior.”

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser has said that the party is ready to set aside their differences for peace in the country.

In a statement issued on Monday, the PTI leader called upon the government to change its behaviour as the "country is going through serious crises."

“National unity is the need of the hour," he said, adding that the government would have to improve its behaviour first.

“In our [PTI] tenure, the government evolved a better strategy and succeeded to restore peace [in the country]. Our strategy was in the best interest of the country,” he added.

Responding to a question about the All Parties Conference (APC), the former NA speaker said that the government’s representatives made a telephone call to him on Sunday and verbally invited him to the multi-party conference.

“It was not an appropriate way to invite anybody to the APC,” he said, adding, "National harmony in Pakistan is out of the question as the government shows unconstitutional behaviour." 

Imran Khan rejects APC invitation 

On February 3, PTI Secretary-General Asad Umar said the party Chairman Imran Khan would not attend the federal government's APC scheduled for February 9 (Thursday). However, earlier the APC was to be held on Tuesday (tomorrow).

The statement of the PTI leader came as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed the invitation he had extended to the PTI chief at an apex committee meeting in Peshawar.

During the high-level huddle, the premier without naming the PTI chief, said: "I have also invited the person who does not want to even shake hands with me," adding, "All parties are invited to the APC and apex committee meetings and I hope that it will not be rejected."

It is pertinent to mention here that following last week's deadly bombing at a Peshawar mosque, PM Shehbaz summoned the APC to find solutions to "important national challenges".

The premier seeks to bring heads of all political parties to the table so they can figure out ways to address the challenges, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said in a statement.