
ISLAMABAD: On February 7, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened an All-Party Conference (APC) and invited all national political leaders, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, to discuss the growing threat of extremism and terrorism.
The prime minister’s decision to summon the APC and invite all national-level political figures, including PTI president, comes only days after the Peshawar police lines massacre, which claimed more than 100 people when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a mosque during noon prayers.
Previously, following the APS massacre, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif organized a multi-party conference in Peshawar and encouraged all parties represented in parliament, including PTI, to join hands and reconfirm their commitment to fighting terrorists and extremists. PTI chairman previously attended the great summit of political elites, and all eyes would be on him whether he attends or avoids APC.
According to an official announcement, the APC will debate the country’s major concerns, including the terrorist attack on the mosque near the Peshawar Police Lines on January 30. The APC will be held on February 7 in Islamabad, according to the announcement.
According to an official announcement, the APC will debate the country’s major concerns, including the terrorist attack on the mosque near the Peshawar Police Lines on January 30. The APC will be held on February 7 in Islamabad, according to the announcement.
The premier’s move to force party leaders to meet across the table on critical national-level issues has been viewed as a major political shift in the country’s political environment, which has been plagued by uncertainty for months.
Marriyum Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, stated that PML-N Federal Minister Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has formally invited all national political heavyweights, including Imran Khan, to attend the APC. She emphasized that the APC would only discuss terrorism and not economic or political matters.
According to the official statement, Sadiq phoned two PTI leaders, former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and former Defense Minister Pervez Khattak, and invited Imran Khan to join the APC on behalf of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.