06 July 2004	Tuesday	17 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

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LAHORE, July 5: Convinced that the ruling party will go to any extent to get Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz elected on both the National Assembly seats he will contest, the ARD on Monday discussed the possibility of putting up incarcerated PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari from the Tharparkar constituency and the PML-N's jailed leader Javed Hashmi from Attock.

But before announcing a final decision, the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy would examine the legal aspects of their candidatures for which purpose its day-long meeting was extended by another day.

Mr Zardari has been behind bars for the past seven years and Mr Hashmi, acting president of the PML-N, was sentenced a few months back to 23 years in prison on sedition charges.

Both major components of the ARD, the PPP and the PML-N, had failed to make electoral adjustments in the October 2002 general elections and subsequent by-polls on various seats. However, they decided in principle on Monday to put up joint candidates against the man who, on winning the NA election, would replace Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as prime minister.

"The PPP and the PML-N are unanimous that they should put up joint candidates on the two seats," ARD Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim said after the meeting. Strong cover candidates for Mr Zardari and Mr Hashmi are also being considered.

According to a senior PML-N leader, exiled former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif had directed his party that the ARD should select joint candidates for both the seats. Mr Nawaz Sharif's desire was conveyed to the PPP leaders who then informed their chairperson Benazir Bhutto about the same.

The ARD wants to contest the by-election from both the constituencies without relying on the MMA's support, which was expressed by various leaders of the religious parties alliance during the past few days.

"The religious parties alliance has been playing tricks in the past," Mr Fahim said, rejecting its support offer. Another ARD leader said that the MMA could not be trusted because of its past conduct. He said the MMA should apologize to the nation for helping the government in getting the 17th amendment passed from parliament and in legitimizing the presidency of Gen Pervez Musharraf.

A resolution, which would be released to the media on Tuesday, demanded that Mr Fahim should be appointed opposition leader in the National Assembly vice MMA's Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

The ARD leaders are of the view that the election of Chaudhry Shujaat as prime minister had established that the ARD was the second largest party in the house and had the right to get the opposition leader's slot.

Those who participated in the meeting included Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Nawabzada Mansoor Khan, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Syed Zafar Ali Shah, Nafees Siddiqui, Tehmina Daultana, Saifullah Saif, Syed Manzoor Ali Gilani, Pir Nau Behar Shah, Munir Ahmed Khan, Nawaz Gondal and Amanullah Khan.

A resolution on the law and order situation has also been prepared. The murder of PPP leaders Munawar Suhrawardy and Abdullah Murad and PML-N's Pir Binyamin has been condemned. Yet another resolution condemns the removal of Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali as prime minister in a unceremonious way.

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