JUI-F to hold APC on 18th amendment, NFC award on July 9

The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s Sindh chapter will hold an all-party conference in Karachi on July 9 to discuss any change to the 18th Constitutional Amendment and a cut in the provincial share in the National Financial Commission (NFC) Award, the worsening economic situation in the country and other issues.

It was announced in a provincial JUI-F meeting held at the Jamia Madnia seminary in Gulshan-e-Iqbal on Thursday. JUI-F supremo Maualana Fazulur Rehman would preside over the APC, while senior leadership of all opposition par­ties would be invited to the conference, the party said.

Allama Rashid Soomro, the JUI-F Sindh’s secretary-general, said that the party had already consulted with leaders of all key political and religious parties to make the APC successful. He said: “Because of coronavirus precautionary measures, only two leaders from each political and religious party will attend the conference,” he said.

At the end of the conference, JUI-F supremo Rehman along with the leaders of other political parties will read the joint statement of the APC to the media. In the meeting, several committees had also been formed regarding the holding of the APC.

Sami Swati, the JUI-F’s Sindh deputy secretary information, said that except the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the ruling party in the Centre, all political and religious pirates would be invited to attend the conference. “The exact location of the APC will be announced after two or three days,” Swati told The News.