12 October 2004	Tuesday	26 Shaban 1425

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LAHORE, Oct 11: Leaders of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy and 17 relatively small parties and half a dozen professional organizations, who attended a round-table conference here on Monday, rejected the 17th amendment and resolved to restore the 1973 Constitution as it stood before Gen Pervez Musharraf took over power five years ago.

The participants also pledged to restore democracy in what they called its purest form, but did not spell out the strategy they would adopt to achieve the goal. The RTC, held under the chairmanship of Makhdoom Amin Fahim at the Lahore Press Club, refused to recognize Gen Musharraf as president and army chief and said that the system given by him was not democratic.

The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal was not invited to the conference despite contacts between the two alliances at the highest level, which continued till Monday morning.

However, a couple of parties belonging to the religious alliance attended the RTC in their individual capacity. The absence of the MMA leadership belied an impression given by ARD leaders on Sunday that the two alliances were getting closer and that attitudes on both sides were positive.

Mr Amin Fahim said after the meeting that MMA Secretary General Maulana Fazlur Rehman had told him by phone that he could not take part in the RTC because of his other commitments in Karachi, but a possibility of cooperation would continue to be explored.

Sources in the ARD and the MMA, however, say that the two alliances have divergent views on the core issue of the status of the 17th Amendment and the gulf has not narrowed despite contacts among their leaders. Each side is firm on its stand and wants the other to agree to its point of view.

Mr Fahim and PML-N Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq will hold talks with the MMA on a date to be set through mutual contacts. It is said that Mian Nawaz Sharif has directed his party colleagues that matters with the MMA should not be taken to 'a point of no-return'.

This is reported to be the reason that despite the fact that the MMA had not been formally invited to the RTC, a couple of Jamaat-i-Islami leaders attended a dinner hosted by a PML-N leader at his residence in honour of senior ARD leaders.

The ARD chairman talked about what he called the damage caused to the country by various military rulers and said the course being followed by Gen Musharraf would also not lead to a different outcome.

A reporter asked the ARD chief what was the justification for the PPP and PML-N legislators continuing to be a part of the system that the alliance describes as dictatorial and undemocratic.

In response, Mr Fahim said the ARD had taken part in the 2002 election considering it as a step towards a democratic dispensation. "We are sitting in the house but it is an elected one. We'll prefer free and fair fresh elections".