LAHORE, Oct 21: People’s Party Parliamentarians president Makhdoom Amin Fahim has proposed immediate talks between the military regime and political parties to resolve differences over crucial issues.

The issues he suggested for negotiations include the presidency of Gen Pervez Musharraf, constitutional amendments made through the Legal Framework Order, the National Security Council, and the oath of the legislators-elect.

Anything the two sides find in the greater national interest as a result of the proposed talks should be adopted, Mr Fahim said in an interview with Dawn on Monday.

The PPP leader said both sides should be flexible in their attitude and hold talks with an open mind to evolve a broad-based understanding on the most important issues which were vitiating the political atmosphere at a time when there was dire need for national unity.

Transfer of power, he said, should not be delayed unnecessarily as it would lead to uncertainty.

Asked whether his party was now prepared to work with Gen Musharraf as president, Mr Fahim said when the party had taken part in the elections organized by the general, it could also work for the restoration of democracy in accordance with the rules of the game set by him.

When it was pointed out that his idea of the government of national unity had been declared “impracticable” by PML-Q president Mian Mohammad Azhar, and some other parties had also not come up with a positive response, the PPP leader insisted that key to replacing the country on a democratic track lay in the setup proposed by him.

The head of such a government could be decided through talks among political parties, he proposed.

Mr Fahim said he had discussed the idea with a number of political leaders but none had differed with its utility.

The bitter experience of the past, he said, necessitated that the hatchet should be buried and fresh initiatives taken to remove all tensions between the government and political parties.

For this purpose, he said, the nation should accept whatever little democracy was being restored by the military rulers at the end of their three-year term. It was true, he admitted, that democracy was not being restored in its pure form, yet whatever was being offered should not be refused.

He advised all political parties not to fight with each other on “the name of the child before it is born”. He said everybody should first see what the general was going to deliver in the name of democracy.

He believed that doubts about the revival of the democratic process would stand removed as the general would take practical steps for the purpose.

In reply to a question, the PPP leader said it was a fact that in the past his party had reservations about cooperation with religious parties. But, he added, results of the elections had changed the PPP’s thinking and now it would not be prudent to ignore the MMA which had emerged as a big force. Cooperation with them, he said, was also desirable for a better working of parliament.

He denied reports that Ms Bhutto had not nominated him as her party’s candidate for the office of the prime minister. He said he was holding meetings with other parties under instructions from the PPP chairperson.

In response to another question, he said since democracy had still not been restored, the ARD should stay on under the leadership of Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan. “We’ll extend full cooperation to the Nawabzada.”