The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party have declined to sign the 26-point communique during the all-parties conference (APC) spearheaded by the Awami National Party (ANP) in Islamabad.
According to details, the APC convened in the federal capital city by the ANP, participating political groups expressed agreement on the importance of democracy, constitutional supremacy and provincial rights. However, the session concluded without a joint declaration.
The disruption occurred when ANP President Aimal Wali Khan began to read out the declaration. Pakistan Muslim League (N) representatives, including Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Irfan Siddiqui, along with Pakistan Peoples Party’s Nayyar Bukhari, left the meeting. Irfan Siddiqui said, “These are your demands, not ours.”
While reading the draft, Aimal Wali Khan said all parties agreed that lasting peace and development in Pakistan could not be achieved without democracy, the rule of law and legitimate provincial rights.
During the session, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman proposed a national dialogue to address the country’s challenges. He remarked that questions now surrounded the parliamentary system and that national dialogue and an economic plan had become essential for its stability.
PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui supported the call for dialogue, adding that the military had defeated a foe five times the size of Pakistan. He also said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh were national assets and that Pakistan could not be defined by Punjab alone.
In his address, PPP leader Nayyar Bukhari described the Constitution of 1973 as a consensus document. He said while amendments were possible, tampering with its core would complicate the creation of a new constitution.
Qaumi Watan Party Chairman Aftab Sherpao expressed concern over opposition demands for direct negotiations with the establishment, calling it a move that bypassed Parliament.
