Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman met former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif here on Sunday for two hours at his Jati Umra residence to convince him to participate in a multi-party opposition conference on 31st October, but he remained "non committal". Talking to reporters after the meeting Fazl said he discussed the prevailing political situation with the PML-N Quaid but Nawaz said he would inform about his participation in the APC after a meeting with party president Shahbaz Sharif who is under detention. However NAB officials did not allow Shahbaz's family members to meet him on Sunday, he added.
The JUI-F chief said the PML-N leader shared his view that the current political situation called for a multi-party conference. The main agenda of the conference is to form a grand opposition alliance against Prime Minister Imran Khan-led federal government that came to power under a fake mandate and discuss the present uncertain political and economic situation and disturbing price hike, he added.
It may be added that day earlier, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had agreed to attend the APC hosted by Maulana Fazl and he was also willing to meet Nawaz. However inside sources stated that Nawaz has been reluctant to hold a one-on-one meeting with Zardari for Nawaz has reservations over PPP's role in the formation of government following 25th July general elections as PML-N, being the majority party would have formed its government in Punjab had PPP supported it.
According to sources, Nawaz during the meeting told Maulana Fazl that he has not initiated political activities since his release and thus cannot immediately meet Zardari. "Shahbaz is now the party president and he is currently in NAB's custody which is why he could not be consulted over the matter," Nawaz was further quoted as saying. "The PML-N president will attend a National Assembly session tomorrow where we will consult him over APC and will inform you regarding the decisions taken."
Further, sources claimed that Nawaz said, "PML-N does not immediately want to be part of any movement which is anti-government. The government is digging their own grave and their performance is in front of everyone so we want to give them the opportunity to show their failures to the nation." Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz and senior PML-N leader Pervaiz Rashid also attended the meeting between Nawaz and Fazalur Rehman.
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