All Parties Conference

All Parties Conference at Bilawal House

Rashid Hussain

A political alliance of opposition parties named Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has been formed on September 20, 2020, to launch a nationwide campaign of protests for overthrowing the PTI government. The PPP-hosted All Parties Conference (APC) was organized to discuss the ongoing situation and make a comprehensive plan to deal with the PTI government. The first-ever government of former legend cricketer Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek Insaf does not seem to compromise on matters of national interests, opposition parties’ leadership being disappointed with Prime Minister Imran Khan, demanded his immediate resignation.

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The 26-point resolution was passed which was then read by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of Jamiat Ulema e Islam-F (JUI-F) at the press conference. The resolution states that the parliament is a rubber stamp so the opposition would not cooperate with the government in the legislative process in the future. At the same time, they demanded a new law of accountability be passed per Supreme Court’s verdict from the same ‘rubber stamp’ parliament.

The PDM forum also demanded that allegations in recent news reports about Lt. General (retired) Asim Saleem Bajwa should be probed, until then Gen Bajwa may be removed from the post of chairman CPEC authority.

The forum leaders also said that their competition is not with this government but the military establishment who brought this government, they have extreme concern over the establishment’s increasing interference in the country’s internal affairs and regarded this interference as a threat to the stability of the nation.

Pakistan Democratic Movement has decided to run their campaign in different phases; the first phase will start in October, all opposition parties will carry out joint rallies in all provinces of the country. In January 2021, this alliance will hold a decisive long march towards Islamabad and a sit-in would be held. Bilawal Bhutto of PPP, Shahbaz Sharif of PML-N, Maulana Fazlur Rehman of PML-F, and other prominent leaders of the multiparty conference addressed, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and former president of Pakistan/PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari also participated in the meeting through video link. Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari in their addresses, focused on anti-establishment stance, it looks as they have played their last card; Nawaz Sharif said their struggle is not against PTI but it is against those who have brought it into power. some analysts are of the view that Nawaz Sharif’s speech might cause him a big political blow, his political career seems to be terminating.

Chief of Army Staff has attended a meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan a day after the All Parties Conference, matters of national security and internal affairs were discussed, according to the sources.

On September 23, 2020, DG Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar while talking to a media channel, said that Muhammad Zubair, a central leader of Pakistan Muslim League (N) on his request, had two meetings with the Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa; the first meeting was held at the end of August 2020, and the second time he came to meet with COAS Gen Bajwa on September 07, 2020. In that meeting, COAS Gen Qamar Javed made it clear that all political issues should be pursued in the Parliament only, likewise, the legal matters would be resolved by the country’s judiciary, Army needs to be kept away from these disputes. DG ISPR also said that Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Safdar were discussed in both meetings.

In a reply to this statement of Gen Iftikhar Babar, PML-N leader Muhammad Zubair told the media today that he has forty years long relation with Pakistan Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and these meetings were private, not political, if these meetings were political then PML-N leadership must have known about them.

Pakistan Railways Minister Shaikh Rasheed has disclosed that opposition parties’ leadership has been meeting with COAS, and ISI Chief, they had a recent meeting a week before this APC, Army chief told them that Pakistan Army should not be dragged to politics. Shaikh Rasheed also told the names of PML-N, who met with Gen Bajwa a week before the Multiparty meeting, according to Shaikh Rasheed’s statement, Ahsan Iqbal, Shahbaz Sharif, and Khawaja Asif had a meeting with the Army chief. The meeting was called for consensus upon making Gilgit-Baltistan a province but other matters of politics and accountability were also discussed. Responding to Bilawal Bhutto’s criticism, he threatened to expose all meetings of opposition leaders with COAS.