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| January 7, 2002 | Monday | Shawwal 22, 1422 |
ARD to discuss leadership issue on 19th
LAHORE, Jan 6: A meeting of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy is expected to be held on Jan 19 or 20 to discuss the situation arising out of the resignation of Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan as the alliance chief.
The schedule may, however, be changed if requested by the constituent parties, ARD sources said on Sunday.
Consultations among ARD components are being held about the future course of action in case the PPP does not change its stance.
“The alliance will be kept intact no matter whether the PPP remains in it or not”, a central leader of an important party said.
Meanwhile, leaders of the PML-N and the PPP, the two major components of the ARD, held separate meetings with Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan on Sunday to persuade the senior leader to withdraw his resignation and stay on as head of the multi-party coalition.
The Nawabzada had stepped down a few days ago on the plea that the PPP’s abstention from the Dec 27 all-party conference hosted by him amounted to a no-confidence against him.
PML-N Vice-President Tehmina Daultana and provincial secretary-general Khwaja Saad Rafiq called on the Nawabzada and requested him that he should resume the chairmanship of the alliance so that the struggle for the revival of democratic system could be taken to its logical conclusion.
Another central PML-N leader, who did not like to be named, was of the view that the ARD could not remain intact under the leadership of any other person and to make the alliance survive, the senior leader would have to be brought to the helm.
Party’s central working committee is due to meet in Lahore on Jan 14 to discuss the situation and work out party’s future course of action.
According to a leader, participants will also discuss the ARD matters if the crisis created by the Nawabzada’s resignation remains unresolved by then.
PPP leader Munir Ahmed Khan met the Nawabzada under instructions from Mr Asif Ali Zardari and conveyed him party’s desire that he should continue to head the alliance.
Mr Zardari praised the Nawabzada’s struggle for democracy and urged him that he should lead the struggle for a representative political system from ARD’s platform.
The Nawabzada did not immediately offer any comments on request by both parties.
In a related development, PPP senior vice-chairman Makhdoom Amin Faheem said that his party would not like the ARD to disintegrate and would try to convince the Nawabzada to review his decision.
He said he was holding consultations with other ARD parties, outcome of which would be made public in a few days.
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