APC

The political atmosphere is heating up with every passing day in Pakistan, the government and opposition where keep on blaming each other for the economic crunch, political uncertainty and other issues, the security issues are also not safe.

Recently, PM Shehbaz Sharif has called an All Party Conference (APC) on February 7 where all the national political leaders, including PTI Chairman Imran Khan, have been invited to mull over a future course of action to address the issues of extremism and terrorism, but sadly PTI has denied attending the APC.

According to the official statement, the APC will discuss key economic and political challenges, including the deteriorating security situation in the country. PM Sharif’s decision to convene all the political leaders to deliberate on crucial national-level challenges is being viewed as a major political development in the country’s political scene, which has been marred with uncertainty and turmoil for months now. Sources reveal that PTI which boycotted the meeting now mulling sending Sheikh Rasheed or Azam Swati to attend the All Parties Conference to represent the party.

Like 2014, the current situation demands a consensus from all the key stakeholders, especially if the menace of terrorism is to be tackled. Otherwise, the militant groups are more than wary of how the ongoing crisis can be exploited to their benefit. Forging consensus however seems like a tall task, considering how the PTI officials have stated that Mr Imran Khan will not be attending the APC meeting. This was confirmed by Asad Umar who questioned how the former premier could sit with the incumbent government while false cases were being filed against the PTI.

This is unfortunate as it shows the extent to which the ongoing political crisis has damaged the overall landscape, and that existential threats can also not convince leaders to come together. This is not about giving a clean chit to the PDM, or claiming that the PTI’s grievances have no legitimacy.

These are exceptional circumstances which require both sides to compartmentalise issues and reach across the aisle to agree on a mutual path forward. The PTI could have also lodged its protest at the APC in addition to discussing the issue of general elections for the Punjab and KP assemblies. However, for now, it seems that things have deteriorated to a point of no return, and there can and will be no engagement between the two sides.