May 5, 2003	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 2, 1424

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MANSEHRA/ISLAMABAD May 4: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali on Sunday extended invitation to leaders from both the treasury and opposition for consultation on the steps that he proposes to take for peace talks with India.

A joint meeting of the opposition parties and the allies has been called in Islamabad on Monday to take a unified stand on talks with India, Mr. Jamali said while speaking at a huge public meeting at the Mansehra Sports Stadium here.

He said Pakistan has responded positively to the talks offer by Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, which he made in Srinagar on April 18, and later repeated in his address to parliament.

A special session of parliament could also be called to discuss negotiations with India, Jamali told reporters after addressing the public meeting.

Meanwhile, in Islamabad sixteen politicians, both from the opposition and treasury have already received invitation from the prime minister for consultation on the confidence-building measures he proposes to take to pave the way for purposeful talks with Indian leadership.

The invitees include parliamentary leaders of parties belonging to the ruling alliance as well as the combined opposition. A number of federal ministers have received the invitation to the round table.

The meeting has been scheduled at 8pm at the Prime Minister House.

Federal Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told Dawn that the prime minister, through consultative meeting, wanted to take the parliamentary leaders into confidence on the confidence-building measures (CBMs) that the government proposes to take as a precursor to resuming talks with India.

So far as Kashmir issue was concerned, the minister said “the efforts for its solution were already on through track II diplomacy.” He put the number of invitees at around 23 which other official sources did not confirm.

Those invited to the meeting include PPP’s Makhdoom Amin Fahim, MMA’s Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Fazlur Rahmad, Maulana Samiul Haq and Prof Sajid Mir, PML-Q’s Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, National Alliance’s Sardar Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari, PML-N’s Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Syed Safwanullah, PML-Z’s Ijazul Haq, PPP Patriot’s Rao Sikandar Iqbal, PML-F’s Abdur Razzak Thaeem, PPP-(Sherpao)’s Aftab Ahmed Sherpao, ANP’s Asfandyar Wali Khan and Federal Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.

Almost all the other invitees have confirmed their participation except for Qazi Hussain Ahmed, who has nominated Liaqat Baloch and Prof Ghafoor Ahmed in his place as, according to him, he had already made commitment to reach Quetta on Monday prior to receiving the PM’s invitation.

PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said Benazir Bhutto had given her assent to Makhdoom Amin Fahim to attend the meeting. “It is a good thing that the Jamali government is apparently seeking consensus of the political parties on the peace process. However, we will watch what the real intent is,” he added.

The prime minister extended invitations to the leaders telephonically as well as through written letters, asking them to attend the meeting meant for consultation on the crucial talks with Indian leadership.

The meeting is expected to adopt a unanimous resolution whereby the parameters of the talks with India will be laid down, the sources said. The meeting, in all probability, will give the prime minister a free hand to hold talks with India while keeping the country’s priorities in view.

Meanwhile, the prime minister of Azad Kashmir, in his reaction to Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri’s statement that Pakistan-India trade could precede Kashmir, said: “We wish to remind Pakistani leadership that while talking with India, Islamabad must also consult the Kashmiri leadership/people.”