November 11, 2001	Sunday	Shaba’an 24, 1422

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LAHORE, Nov 10: A meeting of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) has been called for Nov 16 which may be crucial for the fate of the alliance in view of the divergent positions taken by the coalition partners on issues on which the alliance is supposed to have unanimity of views.

Alliance sources say that the participants will discuss the prevailing political situation in the country and the strategy the grouping should follow. PPP Senior Vice-Chairman Makhdoom Amin Faheem, who met President Pervez Musharraf at the head of a four-member party delegation a few days ago, is expected to brief his allies on the talks.

Upset by views expressed by various leaders on different subjects, some leaders think that if the alliance has to stay intact then all components should have similarity of thought on the goal for the achievement of which the ARD had been carved out of the Grand Democratic Alliance about a year back. Or, they say, the alliance should be consigned to history and all parties should be allowed to bid farewell to the alliance and do what they think is in their interest.

The alliance has been dormant for quite some time, mainly to cover up differences. Policies adopted by some important parties after the Sept 11 events are being regarded as a serious threat to the unity of the alliance.

The PPP’s meeting with the president and the views expressed by various leaders subsequently have caused ripples in the alliance.

The ARD, for example, has been consistently demanding immediate elections under the supervision of an interim government of national complexion. For this purpose, it has also been mounting pressure on the military government.

The alliance also does not recognize Gen Pervez Musharraf as a legitimate president, and the day the general aggrandised himself, ARD President Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan had said if the constitution was in existence, then Gen Musharraf was not the president and if the general was the legitimate president then the constitution, now in abeyance, stands abrogated.

The coalition’s position on these issues has been, or it so appears, compromised after the PPP delegation’s meeting with Gen Musharraf and the views expressed by its leader.

Leader of the delegation, Makhdoom Amin, had said in an interview that there was no need for a movement against the government and the ARD parties should prepare themselves for the October elections which he said he trusted would be held on time. (The need for ‘immediate elections’ no longer a demand). He also said that his party recognised Gen Musharraf as president, a departure from the ARD’s stand.

Many allege that the PPP is now adopting a mild approach on various issues to be able to get some relief for Ms Benazir Bhutto and her husband.

Knowledgeable sources say that Ms Bhutto had directed Makhdoom Amin Faheem to consult the veteran leader before calling on Gen Musharraf. But when the senior vice-chairman approached the ARD president, he expressed his inability to offer any advice, saying meeting with the general was an internal PPP issue. The PML(N), another important component of the ARD, has also become inactive. Its chairman Raja Zafarul Haq does not recognize the ARD nor does take part in the alliance’s activities. And with acting president Javed Hashmi having been arrested on corruption charges, and uncertainty about the period for which he will remain with the National Accountability Bureau, there is little possibility of the party getting active against the government. The party is preparing itself for the elections, convinced that no amount of pressure can force the military rulers to advance the polls even by a few weeks. A party leader said a few days ago that the PML(N) regarded the PPP as its major rival and the next elections would be between the supporters of Mian Nawaz Sharif and Ms Benazir Bhutto.

The Awami National Party has also softened its attitude towards the government ever since the release of its leader — and former federal minister — Azam Khan Hoti.

As the ANP is fully supporting the government’s policy on Afghanistan, it will not take part in any movement to be launched for Gen Musharraf’s ouster.

The remaining parties in the ARD are non-entities and it will make little difference whether they stay in the alliance or quit it. Devoid of any popular support, they are also unable to create any problem for the government.