26 December 2004	Sunday	13 Ziqa'ad 1425

ISLAMABAD, Dec 25: Interviews with politicians of the three main political parties, the ruling PML, the PPP and the PML-N, show that all the three parties have different understanding of the word "reconciliation."

A vocal member of the PML-N, who is in direct contact with Nawaz Sharif but likes to remain anonymous, believes that the expression "reconciliation" is being used by the official spin doctors to deflect the attention of the masses from the back room deals that are being cut between the mainstream political parties and the military.

While trying to downplay the rumours of the government's "reconciliation" efforts with the former chief minister of Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif, the information managers of the PML-N expressed deep sense of suspicion over what they called the government's deal in the offing with People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP). They, however, insisted that the ongoing reorganisation within their party had nothing to do with any deal being offered to the Sharif brothers.

The PML-N leadership is not sure what the government has to offer it in terms of "reconciliation". Some members of the PML-N, believing in the drawing room discussions in the capital, suspect that the PPP has been promised a share in the governments of Sindh and Punjab with a few ministries at the federal level as well.

Media manager of PML-N Siddiqul Farooq said his party had been consistent in its stance not to make any deal or reconciliation with the present government. He said PML-N could only sit with the government when it publicly apologised for its misdeeds and showed sincerity in appointing a caretaker government of national reconciliation.

When asked what "reconciliation" meant for the ruling party, the PML secretary information, Senator Tariq Azeem, had a realistic answer. Explaining only the broad contours of "reconciliation" as understood by his party, Senator Azeem said the ruling party was willing to make adjustments and accommodate people on "need basis".

Touching upon the philosophical foundations of the concept, he cited the examples of Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa and said "truth" was the first basis on which the two sides can sit and agree before agreeing to anything substantial.

For PML, the truth of a constitutionally elected government through fair, free and impartial elections (of 2002) is totally different from that of the PPP. The ruling party is armed with its own version of bitter historical facts to counter the arguments of PPP and PML-N on constitutional matters and corruption issues.

PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar says "reconciliation" for his party means "absence of rancour and vendetta" from the national scene. Restoration of the Constitution, for Senator Babar, also implies one of the benchmarks of reconciliation. For the PML-N, the original constitution means the power structures as they existed on October 12, 1999.

Gen Musharraf has also dilated on the concept of "reconciliation" which, it is understood, does not mean that a minority would rule over the majority as a result of the reconciliation process. And for him the majority today is represented by the ruling alliance.

After meeting with President Gen Pervez Musharraf, with his group of PPP breakaways, Interior Minister Sherpao seems to have concluded that reconciliation would not have any adverse political effects on the ruling coalition either in the local government elections or in the future scenario of 2007.

With the ground rules for "reconciliation" agreed between the ruling coalition and the powers that be, those in power seem united in their support of Gen Musharraf.

The events of the past one week have also shown that the concept of "national reconciliation", as floated by Gen Musharraf's circle of close advisors, has started delivering the results on multi-party front in the opposition ranks.

Just within a span of last seven days, all the three main opposition parties have made attempts to downplay the rumours of dissension within their ranks or of striking a deal with the government.

The PPP and PML-N have stopped making an issue of the uniform since the release of Asif Ali Zardari and Musharraf's telephonic contacts with the Sharifs. They now use the broad and general term of democracy whenever they are asked if they are still opposed to Musharraf's uniform. They had also refrained from staging their traditional protest demonstrations against Musharraf when he recently visited Washington and London.