30 January 2005	Sunday	19 Zilhaj 1425

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 29: The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and the People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP), the two component parties of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD), have divergent views on the issue of forming a grand alliance with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) , sources in the two parties said on Saturday.

A senior PPP parliamentarian, while talking to Dawn, ruled out the possibility of joining hands with the MMA as the religious alliance had to the day not publicly denounced the 17th Amendment.

Moreover, the PPP leader said, the MMA was also not ready to give any kind of assurance that it would not raise issues other than the restoration of parliament's sovereignty and 1973 Constitution in joint anti-government public meetings. He said the PPP had ideological differences with both the MMA and the PML-N on many issues like religion column in passports, Hudood Ordinance and war on terror.

He said it would be difficult for the PPP leaders to sit with the MMA leaders when speeches would be delivered in favour of Hudood Ordinance and restoration of religion column in passports.

He said there were bright chances that the PPP would say a "final no" to the MMA very soon.

PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar said that there was no truth in the reports that the party was ready to accept the MMA as a protest partner. He said it was true that there were pressures on the party for forming a grand alliance. However, he said: "After the MMA gave political support to President Gen Pervez Musharraf for the 17th Amendment, the PPP was hesitant to enter into another alliance for the time being."

On the other hand, PML-N secretary-general Iqbal Zafar Jhagra hoped that the ARD and the MMA would agree to form a grand alliance for the restoration of democracy and parliament's sovereignty.

In response to the PPP leaders' assertion that the MMA had not so far openly denounced the 17th Amendment, Mr Jhagra said the MMA leaders had given the assurance to PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif that they were ready to launch a joint-struggle to bring the 1973 Constitution to the position of October 12, 1999. He said when the MMA leaders had given the assurance it meant that they had denounced the 17th Amendment as it was not part of the Constitution on October 12, 1999.

Responding to other objections of the PPP leaders, Mr Jhagra said even there were differences between the PPP and the PML-N on many issues but they were together in the ARD for a common cause.

He said every party had its own policies and views on different issues. He hoped that soon modalities would be worked out between the ARD and the MMA for launching a joint-struggle.

Meanwhile, when contacted for comments, MMA leader Liaquat Baloch confirmed that the religious alliance's leaders had given the assurance to the PML-N leadership that they would struggle to bring the Constitution to the state it was on October 12, 1999.

He said after Gen Musharraf's announcement to retain the uniform, the agreement between the government and the MMA had ended.

As far as the issues of religion column in passports and Hudood Ordinance were concerned, he said, if the PPP men could not leave their "secularism" then they could also not leave their Islamic ideology.

Mr Baloch hoped that ultimately the opposition parties would have no choice but to form a grand alliance.

He said earlier there were talks about the government-MMA deal, nowadays there were reports of reconciliation between the regime and the PPP and then there could be talks of a compromise between Gen Musharraf and Shahbaz Sharif. However, he said, such all reports were part of government's campaign and it would fail in its efforts to divide the opposition.