05 February 2005	Saturday	25 Zilhaj 1425

ISLAMABAD, Feb 4: People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) President Makhdoom Amin Fahim has convened a meeting of the party's parliamentary group on February 7 to devise a strategy regarding an anti-government movement.

Sources said the PPP president had convened the meeting one day before the summit of the heads of the component parties of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) to seek opinion of the party's legislators on the issue of cooperation with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) in the anti-government movement.

The sources said the party's decision on the issue would then be put before the ARD meeting on February 8 to make a final decision. It may be mentioned here that the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) and the PPP, the two component parties of the ARD, have divergent views on the issue of formation of a grand alliance with the MMA.

The sources said a majority of the PPP legislators were opposing the idea of extending any kind of cooperation to the MMA due to its role at the time of the passage of the 17th Constitutional Amendment.

Moreover, the PPP leaders say the MMA is not ready to give any kind of assurance that they will not raise issues other than the restoration of parliament's sovereignty and 1973 Constitution in the joint anti-government public meetings.

The PPP leaders are of the view that it will be difficult for them to give its platform to the MMA leaders to speak in favour of Hudood Ordinance and restoration of religion column in passports.

On the other hand, the PML-N leaders are hopeful that the ARD and the MMA will agree to form a grand alliance on one-point agenda for the restoration of democracy and parliament's sovereignty. The PML-N leaders, the sources said, were busy making efforts to convince the PPP leadership to form a grand opposition alliance to oust the present government.