ISLAMABAD, June 19: President Gen Pervez Musharraf is still willing to meet opposition leaders to discuss the stand-off between India and Pakistan, Information Minister Nisar Memon said, while talking to newsmen after the cabinet meeting here on Wednesday.
“The president has not cancelled, but only postponed his meeting with the politicians, including those of the ARD,” he said, adding that Gen Musharraf would like to meet the opposition leaders but without any pre-conditions, as had earlier been agreed with a leader of the ARD, Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan.
The minister said the government’s doors were opened for talks with the political leaders. He regretted that the ARD member parties had started putting conditions to have a meeting with the president.
“There was a one-point agenda, agreed with the opposition leaders that they will meet the president unconditionally but later they (politicians) backed out of their promise that led to the postponement of their meeting with the president.”
When Mr Memon was asked to comment on the deviation of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference from its stance and its readiness to exclude itself from tripartite talks on the issue of Kashmir, he said, “I can not say anything about it and let the foreign office say something over this issue.”
He said the cabinet had not taken any decision about the proposed constitutional amendments.
“There are all kinds of speculations and conjecturing about these constitutional amendments, but I would only say that the issue has not so far been finalized.”
