ISLAMABAD, April 23: The People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) said on Wednesday it would join other opposition parties in talks with Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali set for Friday evening to settle a raging row over sweeping presidential powers.
Party chief Makhdoom Amin Fahim told a news conference he had been invited by Mr Jamali for the talks and would go there as part of the combined opposition, which also includes the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and their smaller regional allies.
He said the talks were set to begin at 7.30pm on Friday, after a morning sitting of the National Assembly, where, he hinted, opposition protests would again be made against the Legal Framework Order.
“I think this meeting is being held with an open mind,” he said about the planned talks with Mr Jamali, adding: “The PPP will take part.”
He said the opposition parties would hold their own meeting on Friday before meeting the prime minister. “We will go (to the talks)) as joint opposition.”
It was still unclear where the talks would be held — possible venues being the Prime Minister’s House or his chamber in the parliament building.
Mr Fahim said he was yet to receive the prime minister’s invitation letter, which he said was on its way and would mention the venue for the talks, though the time for the meeting had been conveyed to him verbally.
SLIP OF TONGUE CORRECTED: There was confusion about the next National Assembly meeting when Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain abruptly adjourned what was the noisiest sitting of the present 342-seat lower house on Tuesday evening.
But in an apparent slip of the tongue, he gave the next date of the session as April 24 (Thursday) while his mention of the day as Friday was not audible to many people.
An assembly official clarified on Wednesday the session would resume on Friday — rather than on Thursday — at 10am.
Mr Fahim said it would have been better if the session was not held on Friday to help create a better atmosphere for the talks with the prime minister and his Pakistan Muslim League-Q party.
He said the opposition had to resort to slogan-chanting and desk-thumping for the fourth day running on Tuesday after PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain insisted the coalition would go ahead with the business of the house despite the protests even after Mr Jamali had verbally invited the opposition for talks.
“The Friday morning session, I think, will be held in the same manner,” Mr Fahim said.
SINGLE-POINT AGENDA: The PPP leader and the party’s deputy parliamentary leader, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, said the opposition would discuss only the LFO with the prime minister rather than other issues.
“I think the burning issue is the LFO,” Mr Fahim said about speculation that the prime minister might try to engage the opposition in other matters after President Musharraf said in Lahore on Monday that the LFO was part of the Constitution and would stay there.
“This is a single-point agenda talks on the LFO,” Makhdoom Qureshi said. “We are not going to discuss everything under the sun.”
Mr Fahim said the combined opposition would stick to its stand that the presidential decree comprising the LFO must be brought to parliament for approval as any other constitutional amendment.
Mr Fahim said PPP leader Benazir Bhutto was being kept informed about what the party was doing.
He said some party colleagues had earlier planned to go to Dubai to meet Ms Bhutto and inquire about the health of Begum Nusrat Bhutto.
But it was not clear when such a meeting would be held now. “Everything depends on Friday’s parleys,” Mr Fahim said.
