F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: All Parties Conference (APC) convened by the Tehreek Tahaffuz Ain Movement has demanded of the government to restore rule of law in the country and political victimization must come to an end.
According to a joint declaration of the APC, the opposition alliance rejected the results of the 2024 general elections and called for the repeal of the 26th constitutional amendment.
Earlier it was reported that several participants of the APC has raised objection on joint declaration and refused to sign it and later their demands were incorporated in the declaration.
The declaration was read aloud by Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, who stated that the conference engaged in democratic consultation and that all political parties present expressed concerns about the systematic weakening of the opposition.
The statement condemned the cancellation of hotel bookings arranged for the conference by the administration and expressed serious reservations regarding the state of the national economy.
According to the APC, 45 per cent of the population is living below the poverty line, unemployment has reached 22 per cent, and youth unemployment stands at 30 per cent.
The conference called for the immediate hearing of legal cases concerning the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and his spouse, condemning their continued detention.
The APC emphasised the need for a new Charter of Democracy and urged national consensus through dialogue among political forces. It underscored the importance of judicial independence and the establishment of a neutral election commission. The declaration also called for the restoration of rights to the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
The APC opposed any attempts to amend the NFC formula and called for the implementation of the 1991 water-sharing agreement. It further demanded the suspension and eventual cancellation of the Green Initiative Agreement.
Reforms to make Senate elections direct were proposed, alongside equalising the powers of the Senate with those of the National Assembly. The declaration called for provincial status and increased autonomy for Gilgit-Baltistan. It reaffirmed that political dissent is essential to democracy and objected to politically motivated cases. The conference rejected censorship measures under laws such as PECA and asserted that restrictions on press freedom were unacceptable.
The former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told the media that the decision was taken to provide funds to FATA districts to include them in the national stream, but after 7 years, nothing has changed yet. The former FATA didn’t get the system nor the development, or the basic rights. He said today tribal people were saying that the old system was better.
Abbasi said that the world, before investing in Pakistan, looks at what kind of punishments are being given to the opposition leader, and if the opposition had to be punished, there should be a judicial environment in which justice could be seen.
Abbasi that the powerful assume that the law is a tool for their interest and that without the rule of law, this country cannot thrive.
Pakhtunkhwa Mili Awami Party leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai said that bloodshed should be stopped. He said “whether the child is Sindhi, Punjabi, Hindu, Sikh, or Christian, he is our child”.
Achakzai said that the army, militia, and police must work under the constitution. He asserted that anyone who steps outside the bounds of the Constitution has no right over the country.
He emphasized that all stakeholders must come together to ensure the supremacy of the constitution. He firmly stated that the concept of one country with two constitutions is unacceptable in Pakistan.
Mahmood Achakzai criticized the government for allowing trade to continue at the Wagah border while keeping trade routes at Quetta and Chaman closed. He demanded that people be allowed to trade freely with neighboring countries. Achakzai stated that they are capable of supporting themselves and will continue contributing to the state. However, he warned the authorities not to push them into reacting again.
