The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has welcomed the opposition’s invitation to attend a multiparty conference and said the invitation would be forwarded to party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for consideration.
The development was confirmed through separate statements issued by the PPP and the opposition alliance.
The opposition had announced plans to hold a multiparty conference on September 11, with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) taking the lead. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan had said the prevailing law and order situation, economic challenges, inflation, lawlessness and proposals for creating new provinces warranted consultations among political parties.
A delegation of the Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz Aain-i-Pakistan (TTAP), led by Barrister Gohar, met PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari at the party’s Central Secretariat in Islamabad and formally invited the PPP to participate in the proposed conference.
The delegation included Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Senator Zeeshan Akhunzada and TTAP spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Yousafzai.
During the meeting, the TTAP delegation briefed Bukhari on the objectives of the proposed conference. The sides also discussed the political situation, constitutional supremacy, strengthening democratic institutions and improving coordination among political parties.
Bukhari said the PPP considered engagement and consultation among political parties important on constitutional and democratic matters.
TTAP spokesperson Yousafzai said the conference would be held after the PTI’s planned October 4 protest, which is aimed at seeking the release of PTI founder Imran Khan.
He said consultations with political parties had begun to finalise the date and venue of the conference. He added that the PPP was invited because of its position on the proposed creation of new provinces.
The issue of creating new administrative units has recently generated debate among political parties and other stakeholders. The PPP, which governs Sindh, has opposed dividing the province and maintains that any decision regarding new provinces should be taken through the constitutional and parliamentary process with political consensus.
Relations between the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have also faced tensions amid recent political campaigns in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The TTAP plans to invite other political parties to the proposed conference. Yousafzai said the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI), Awami National Party (ANP) and Jamaat-i-Islami would also be invited, while the ruling PML-N and its federal coalition partner, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), would not be invited.
Speaking to the media after meeting Bukhari, Barrister Gohar said political parties had an important role in strengthening democracy. He called for coordinated efforts on issues including electoral reforms, provincial autonomy and the debate over new provinces.
Gohar also expressed hope that the PPP would respond positively to the invitation.
The TTAP has constituted a six-member committee to consult political parties and work towards reaching an agreement on the agenda for the proposed multiparty conference.
