May 17, 2003	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 14, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, May 16: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) has increased contacts with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) to chalk out a joint strategy for the ongoing talks between the government and the opposition on the issue of Legal Framework Order (LFO), sources told Dawn on Friday.

The sources said the ARD leaders had increased their contacts with the MMA leaders after receiving reports that the MMA was ready to compromise on some of the points, particularly with reference to 58-2(B) and a timeframe for Gen Musharraf to quit the COAS office.

A delegation of People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP), led by party president Makhdoom Amin Fahim, spent a full day on Friday in Peshawar where they held talks with different political leaders. Other members of the delegation were Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, MNA Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Senator Anwar Baig.

Later, talking to Dawn, Senator Mian Raza Rabbani said basically they had gone to Peshawar to condole with Maulana Fazlur Rehman on the death of the brother of his son-in-law in an accident. “Moreover, the PPP has organized hunger strike camps in the NWFP against the LFO and we visited a camp in Peshawar,” he added.

He said they held a meeting with the NWFP Chief Minister, Akram Khan Durrani, and the JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at tea. The chief minister had invited the PPP team for the tea, he added.

Mr Rabbani expressed the hope that the MMA would not compromise on its principled stand on the LFO. He said the government wanted to divide the combined opposition but all such efforts had so far failed.

He said the PPP hoped that the MMA would continue its struggle for the sovereignty of parliament.