ISLAMABAD: Marriyum Aurangzeb, the information minister, announced on Monday that the government has postponed the All Parties Conference (APC) in Islamabad from February 7 to February 9.
The conference aims to address important challenges facing Pakistan and will involve discussions on a joint strategy to combat terrorism and a review of the National Action Plan (NAP) adopted following the attack on Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar in 2014.
وزیراعظم شہباز شریف کی دہشت گردی کے مسئلے پر بلائی گئی اے پی سی 7 کے بجائے 9 فروری جمعرات کو اسلام آباد میں منعقد ہوگی جس میں ملک کی تمام قومی وسیاسی قیادت کو مدعو کیا گیاہے۔ دہشت گردی، درپیش چیلنجز کے مقابلے کی مشترکہ حکمت عملی مرتب کی جائے گی، نیشنل ایکشن پلان پر نظرثانی ہو گی
— Marriyum Aurangzeb (@Marriyum_A) February 6, 2023
The prime minister had also extended an invitation to the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party for the conference. Economic Affairs Minister Ayaz Sadiq reached out to its top leaders, including former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser and former defense minister Pervez Khattak, inviting them to the meeting.
However, PTI senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry claimed the party has not yet received an official invitation.
The recent rise in terrorism in the country, combined with economic hardships, is the backdrop for an upcoming event. On January 30, a mosque bombing in Peshawar resulted in the deaths of over 100 people, mostly police officers.
Additionally, foreign exchange reserves have declined to a low of $3.09 billion, which experts predict will not cover more than three weeks’ worth of imports.
The government is currently engaged in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a stalled bailout program, which if successful, could also lead to the release of funds from other sources.
