The failure of the Rahbar Committee to win support of mainstream opposition parties, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), for anti-government Azadi March announced by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F) is the reason behind the postponement of the All Parties Conference (APC) scheduled for today (Thursday).
The anti-government moot has been postponed on the pretext of President PML-N Shahbaz Sharif's "serious ailment," who is reportedly suffering from acute backache. Informed sources however told Business Recorder that the decision was taken after the Rahbar Committee, an alliance of anti-government parliamentary opposition parties excluding Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), received a cold shoulder from the PML-N and PPP leadership specifically with reference to the Azadi March and lock down of the federal capital in a bid to send the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government packing.
A senior PML-N leader told Business Recorder that N-League had conveyed to Fazalur Rehman that PML-N would attend the APC but would not support the JUI-F's Azadi March against the government.
This, the source said, led to the postponement of the APC. "The problem is not the unavailability of Shahbaz Sharif for the APC since Chairman PML-N Raja Zafar-ul-Haq could have represented the PML-N in the APC in the absence of the party president.
The problem is that they (JUI-F) did not get the kind of response they wanted from us. And they decided to postpone the third APC," the leader said.
When contacted, a spokesman for Fazalur Rehman denied that the APC has been postponed due to lack of support from PML-N and PPP on JUI-F's planned Azadi March in October.
"The APC is the forum of opposition parties that have representation in the parliament. The heads of the opposition parties attend this moot. Keeping in view that the head of one opposition party (PML-N) is ill, it was deemed suitable to hold the APC on any other mutually agreeable date," he said.
The spokesman further said that the JUI-F would go ahead with the Azadi March to topple the PTI government.
"Ameer JUI-F Maulana Fazalur Rehman has made it clear that Azadi March would be held, come what may, whether any other party supports us or not."
On August 25, the JUI-F chief announced, after chairing a party meeting that JUI-F would launch an Azadi March in October. Fazal also said that the proposal to launch Azad March would be put before the opposition parties in Rahbar Committee's meeting that was held on August 26.
Sources in opposition said that the Azadi March proposal was discussed in the Rahbar Committee's August 26 meeting but the delegates from PML-N and PPP refused to assure the JUI-F of their parties' complete support for the march.
They, sources said, told JUI-F leader Akram Durrani, who is also the Rahbar Committee's Convenor, that the matter would be discussed with their respective party leaderships before taking a final decision.
"Fazal tried to play it wise by putting the ball in PML-N and PPP's court. Without first having the matter discussed in the Rahbar Committee, he announced from the forum of JUI-F that he would launch the Azadi March. This is because Fazal feared lack of support from major opposition parties and therefore unilaterally announced Azadi March to put pressure on PML-N and PPP. But this strategy has failed and there is a cold response from PML-N and PPP," said a source privy to the matter.