KARACHI, Oct 25: The Pakistan People’s Party leaders have briefed an American diplomat here on the evolving political situation in the country, and emphasised their effort to end the urban-rural polarity in Sindh, sources said.

The meeting was hosted by Agha Arsalan, who contested the Oct 10 elections on a National Assembly seat from Shikarpur and lost, and was attended, among others, by some elected members of the party.

The party sources said the impression they gathered from the dialogue was that they were concerned about peace and stability in the post-election period and were of the view that political forces should work hard to remove the polarisation and mistrust to provide a lasting stability to the people both in the rural and urban Sindh.

The PPP leaders, including provincial party chief Nisar Khuhro, Nawab Yusuf Talpur, briefed the American diplomat on their concern regarding delay in the convening of assemblies’ session and the alleged manipulations carried out by the regime.

The party leaders also briefed the US diplomat on the deteriorating economic situation, disparity between rich and the poor, besides mounting rate of suicide.

According to sources, Maj-Gen Ahsan Ahmed (retired) also briefed the diplomat on the alleged manipulations by the government to favour the pro-regime candidates. Gen Ahsan evaded questions about specifics.

Gen Ahsan also reportedly met the diplomat on Friday and briefed him on his ordeal and various other matters, said highly placed source.

Meanwhile, the PPP leaders examined the prevailing political situation in a meeting at Bilawal House on Friday evening and took stock of the situation in the context of the contacts being made by Makhdoom Amin Fahim at the centre and by Nisar Khuhro in Sindh.

The acting secretary general of the party, Raza Rabbani, emphasised that the regime should summon the national and provincial assemblies meeting immediately.

The delay in summoning the assemblies is yet another step in the rigging process to ensure a PML-Q government, he remarked.

He said that after notification about the successful candidates there was no justification for delaying the assemblies’ meeting.

The delay would be used to pressurise the elected members of the national and provincial assemblies to change their loyalties in favour of the king’s party to enable it to form a government.

Such attempts to subvert the mandate of the people would lead to greater instability and the government so installed shall be very weak, he maintained.