ISLAMABAD, May 5: Pro-Musharraf politicians met at a dinner on Sunday to chalk out a course of action for countering the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy, sources informed Dawn.
According to sources, those who attended the dinner at an undisclosed location included Farooq Leghari (Millat Party), Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi (National People’s Party), Sikandar Sherpao (Pakistan People’s Party Sherpao group), Omar Asghar Khan (Qaumi Jamhoori Party), Ajmal Khattak (National Awami Party Pakistan), Imtiaz Sheikh and Arbab Ghulam Rahim (Sindh Democratic Alliance).
Invitations were also extended to Imran Khan of Tehrik-i-Insaf and Ghinwa Bhutto of PPP (Shaheed Bhutto) but they could not attend the dinner, sources said.
The politicians gathered ahead of a meeting on Monday in which the merger of all the factions of Pakistan Muslim League minus the PML (Nawaz) and measures to counter the ARD were said to be on the agenda, sources said and added that the name of their proposed alliance was also likely to be agreed upon.
The sources alleged the stay of all the pro-Musharraf politicians had been sponsored. The flags of all the parties attending the meeting have been provided by the powers doing the wheeling dealing, sources alleged.
The meeting, sources said, would decide on the leader of the pro-Musharraf league. The name of the alliance is expected to be Grand National Alliance.
Former caretaker prime minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi and former president Farooq Leghari are said to be hot contenders for president and secretary general respectively of the alliance.
An ARD leader, Syed Zafar Ali Shah, said it was an open secret that the government was sponsoring the meeting. He said Pakistan Awami Tehrik chief Tahirul Qadri had said that Gen Pervez Musharraf had asked the parties to form an alliance against the mainstream political parties, including the PML, PPP and members of the ARD.
Sources alleged some key leaders of PML(Quaid-i-Azam) had met officials of a sensitive military organization a few days ago and discussed merger of all PML factions minus the PML (N). However, PML(QA) sources denied that any such meeting took place.
PTI Information Secretary Akbar S. Babar said the party would not be part of any alliance which had politicians with a tainted past. Instead of participating in the alliance, Imran Khan would start an election campaign on May 15, he said.
In response to a question as to who was sponsoring the meeting, Mr Babar said it was well known to everyone.
Dismissing the worries that the pro-government alliance would pose any challenge to the ARD or PPP and PML, Zafar Shah said the outcome of April 30 referendum should be an eye-opener for those trying to depend on spent political forces with no popular backing.
It was not confirmed whether PPP(SB) would join the pro-Musharraf group of politicians.
