LAHORE, Aug 2: ARD President Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan is thinking of holding an all-party conference to enable all opposition parties to get together and adopt an identical line of action to thwart the government’s alleged move to keep some popular parties, specially the PPP and the PML(N), or their leaders, out of the electoral process.

A special meeting of the heads of the ARD components is also expected to be called soon to discuss the situation created as a result of various orders issued by the government to regulate the Oct 10 general elections.

The PML(N) has extended an offer to the PPP that both the parties should adopt an identical course of action to have the elections conducted on their terms. The military regime has no right to set the rules of the game and put restrictions on the two parties, PML(N) Chief Organizer Ahsan Iqbal said while talking to Dawn on Friday.

While the shape of cooperation between the two major parties will emerge in the days and weeks to come, both of them have decided to retain their present leadership. However, the PML(N) has left it to Mian Nawaz Sharif to decide whether or not he will like to stay in the saddle.

The PPP insists that despite the Conduct of General Elections (Fourth Amendment) Order 2002, Ms Benazir will lead the party and take part in the elections.

“We had maintained on July 25 that Ms Bhutto does not stand disqualified despite all laws issued by the regime. We hold the same position today — that Ms Bhutto will hold the office of the chairperson”, party’s acting secretary-general Reza Rabbani said while talking to Dawn on Friday.

He said the party would be filing its papers with the required certificate, authenticated by the chairperson, that the elections of the party have been held in accordance with the constitution of the PPP and, as far as possible, in accordance with the PPO 2002. “Through the other certification, specified under the rules of the PPO, we will be asking the Election Commission to issue the symbol of arrow to the PPP”.

He said the party was looking at the other legal implications of the “biased and malafide amendments”.

The PPP leader said his party accepted the challenge of the regime and would meet it politically as well as legally.

“In the next couple of days the party will take a decision on the legal course that it has to adopt”.

Mr Rabbani said the party was still confident that Ms Benazir Bhutto would be in a position to contest the election. Answering a question, the PPP leader said there was no truth in the press reports that Ms Bhutto would step down as chairperson to clear the way for somebody else to head it. “She is duly elected chairperson and will continue to hold the office”.

According to the PPP leader, certificate regarding the party elections would be signed by Ms Bhutto and would be delivered to the Election Commission by an office-bear, duly authorized by her, within the stipulated date.

“There is no need for the party to elect a new chairperson, because there is no disqualification under the law that requires it to do so”.

Asked whether the developments at home could force Ms Bhutto to advance her schedule to return to the country, Mr Rabbani said it was premature to say that it would be so.