ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Thursday invited Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to an all-parties conference (APC) aimed at finding solutions to surmount the daunting economic and political crises.
The prime minister seeks to bring heads of all political parties on 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 conference is set to take place in Islamabad on February 7.
In this regard, she said, Federal Minister Ayaz Sadiq has begun contacting top PTI leaders — including former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser and ex-defence minister Pervez Khattak — and asked them to participate in the upcoming moot.
The invitation is a major development as the PDM-led government and the PTI have always been at loggerheads over almost all national issues, not only since Khan’s ouster from the PM Office, but even when the tables were turned.
The move comes as Pakistan faces a severe threat of terrorism and distressing economic and political situations, with no signs of respite soon.
The prime minister, according to the statement, has also invited two representatives from the PTI to participate in the Apex committee meeting — scheduled for tomorrow (Friday) in Peshawar.
During the committee’s meeting, all stakeholders — police, Rangers, officials from intelligence agencies, and others — will participate, according to the minister.
The meeting will discuss Monday’s Peshawar suicide bombing, ways to root out terrorism, and the upgradation of the police and counter-terrorism department (CTD).