18 October 2004	Monday	03 Ramazan 1425

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 17: Two anti-government alliances and some opposition parties are trying to form a united front on a one-point agenda and to work out a plan to launch a sustained movement against President Pervez Musharraf. Next two to three days would be crucial, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, acting president of the PML-N, told Dawn.

He said informal meetings would be held over the next couple of days after which a plan for a united front would be worked out.

He said that the main 'opposition' alliances, the ARD and MMA, had unanimity of views on most of the issues and had already waged joint protests in parliament. But still there were some differences between the MMA and PPP parliamentarians, which he hoped, would be sorted out.

For the time being, he said that "the combined opposition would continue to register its protest on the floor of the house and then start boycotting the session" as had been done in the National Assembly last week.

MMA's deputy parliamentary leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said the ARD and the MMA had practically joined hands and no hurdle remained in their way to launch a joint campaign against the government.

He told Dawn that the MMA parliamentary party and provincial office-bearers would be meeting in the federal capital on Monday afternoon to finalise their policy for forging a coalition with other parties.

He said that the ARD had in principle decided to support the schedule of mass mobilisation rallies decided at the Quetta meeting of the MMA.

He said that a meeting of MMAs and provincial office-bearers held in Karachi on Sunday discussed plans for a public rally to be held there on October 26.

The ARD and the MMA, he said, demonstrated complete unity in parliament in their protest against the government and on the no-trust motion against Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain.