October 15, 2002	Tuesday	Sha'aban 8, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 14: Intense discussions have been going on among leaders of successful parties on the formation of future setup.

President People’s Party Parliamentarians Makhdoom Amin Fahim on Monday held separate meetings with the chief of Jamaat-i-Islami, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Pakistan Muslim League(N) Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq and President of Muslim League (J) Hamid Nasir Chattha.

After the initial round of consultations, Makhdoom Amin Fahim called for setting up a government of national consensus having representation from all the three main groups in the National Assembly.

“We can find the room for proceeding ahead in the larger interest of the democracy and the people,” the PPP president said while talking to reporters at the residence of Hamid Nasir Chattha.

He said there was no dispute among the parties on the question of restoration of democracy and strengthening of elected institutions.

When asked what could be the common ground among the three major parties having diametrically opposite political views, for setting up a government of national consensus, Hamid Nasir Chattha said a number of constitutional and legal issues would have to be sorted out for taking the democratic process forward.

Chattha said they would not object to taking oath under the PCO as it would be too trivial an issue to block the revival of democratic process.

A meeting of Alliance for Restoration of Democracy has already been convened for Thursday, while meetings of central executive committees of PPP and other parties are likely to be convened shortly to discuss future political alignments.

“We have taken our respective parties and allies into confidence over what we have discussed today,” said Qazi Hussain Ahmed after a breakfast meeting with Makhdoom Amin Fahim.

When asked to identify the possible common ground which could form the basis for a PPP-MMA coalition government, Qazi Hussain Ahmed said issues at hand were trans-fer of power and restoration of democratic process in the country.