ISLAMABAD - Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan on Friday briefed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the upcoming All Parties Conference scheduled for Sept 9 and the latest updates on Karachi law and order situation.
Sources in the government informed The Nation that Prime Minister Sharif wanted some quick-fix as well as long-term measures to bring peace to the port city which is facing serious law and order problem for decades.
Sources further said that PM also wanted incorporation of Karachi situation in the upcoming moot of all parties with the aim to bring all the stakeholders on same page, so that any move taken by the government to tackle this serious issue should have all the stakeholders on its back.
Sources further said that both the leaders have fine tuned government strategy for the proposed APC in which almost all the mainstream political parties would be participating. They said that in the APC the government with the help of political parties would devise a strategy for dialogue with various militant groups to bring peace and tranquillity to the troubled areas.
Sources further said that interior minister gave a detailed briefing to the premier on the proposed programme of the APC and the contacts he had made with several political parties in this connection. He told the PM that two sessions of APC would be held wherein DGs of ISI and IB will apprise the participants of the conspiracies being hatched against the country. A question-answer session will also take place.
According to a press release issue by PM media section, the prime minister has reiterated the resolve to take all-out measures for the restoration of peace in Karachi. During meeting with Nisar, the PM stressed enhancing coordination and intelligence sharing among law enforcement agencies.
Meanwhile, PM Nawaz phoned PML-F chief Pir Pagaro on Friday and invited him to participate in the APC. This personal contact with Pir Sibgatullah Rashidi was also aimed at normalising the relations between the two parties which faced a bump when PML-N leaders visited MQM head office in Karachi to secure their support for PNL-N candidate for the presidential elections. Sources said the two leaders also talked about the situation in Karachi.
Also on Friday, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that all political forces of the country were on the same page with regard to holding of dialogue with Taliban to attain peace in the country, and hoped that All Parties Conference (APC) would give positive outcome. He was talking to reporters after his meeting with JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman that was aimed at to extend him an invitation for APC and have his input on the proposed dialogue with Taliban and other militant groups. He said all the parliamentary parties had been invited to APC and expressed the hope that situation of uncertainty would end soon.
Fazl, speaking on the occasion, assured the minister of his party's support for peace and stability in the country. He said that dialogue with Taliban should be held to ensure peace in the country as use of force would not be the solution to the problem, and he added that he was ready to play his active role in this connection. The JUI-F chief said he fully supported the idea of APC and would participate in it. He hoped that APC would come up with the solution to the problem. He said it was necessary to take security institutions on board while forming national security policy.
Nisar is reported to have contacted Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Farooq Sattar, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam – Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Amir Munawar Hasan and leaders of other parties.
Imran Khan who had earlier decided to boycott such a conference has reportedly agreed to attend it but ANP chief Asfandyar Wali has reportedly denied attending the moot in person.
The briefing came a day after the federal cabinet empowered Rangers to lead a targeted operation in the city with the support of police against criminals already identified by federal military and civilian agencies in hundreds of lists for their alleged involvement in targeted killings, kidnappings for ransom, extortion and terrorism.