ISLAMABAD, Feb 27: The independent group of veteran politicians, led by Begum Abida Hussain and Syed Fakhr Imam, is meeting in Peshawar on Monday to expand its size by gaining support of more eminent but presently inactive politicians.

The group, which include former PML president Mian Muhammad Azhar, Mir Taj Muhammad Jamali, Rao Qaiser, Wazir Ahmed Jogezai, Syed Iftikhar Hussain Gilani and Syed Munir Shah among others, will meet at the residence of Raza Quli Khan Khattak, a member of a prominent political family.

A former provincial minister and son-in-law of veteran politician, Aslam Khattak, Nawabzada Mohsin Ali Khan, who till recently remained Pakistan Tehrik Insaf provincial president, and Latif Afridi, a discarded leader of the ANP and NAPP of Ajmal Khattak, and some others are likely to join the group.

The meeting is also expected to take decisions about the election of group office bearers and discuss the achievements of gaining support of more members. Interestingly, former speaker Elahi Bakhsh Soomro has distanced himself from the group after extending his support at the beginning due to the group's failure in inviting another veteran politician, Air Marshal Asghar Khan, to join the group.

In the group's view, the Air Marshal was already head of the Qaumi Jamhoori party and he may expect the top office of the group which has already been decided in favour of Begum Abida Hussain.

The group, which has applied for the membership of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) as a single entity, is endeavouring to reach out for those politicians who were inactive but do hold their vote banks in their respective constituencies, sources said.

Earlier it was presumed that the majority of the group members may join any of the mainstream party but in the final analysis the group members have decided to elect its office bearers in the near future.

An insider told Dawn that the Independent group's top leadership has analysed that the two-thirds' majority concept by any single party had evaporated with the failure of Nawaz's League government and an era of coalitions and alliances of groups had emerged in recent times.

They analyse the fall of Nawaz Sharif from power was an example of failure of the two-third majority concept and hence they have decided to form a group which could win about 15 to 20 seats in the next polls to come to a bargaining position in the in-coming government.

According to the programme, Mian Muhammad Azhar and Syed Fakhr Imam will address the Peshawar high court bar before getting together at Raza Quli Khan's residence.

The group leadership will visit the residence of another veteran politician and ANP leader Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour from where they will telephonically contact Khan Abdul Wali Khan and other members of the Wali Bagh family in Charsadda.

Sources claimed that the group had become active after receiving strong signals about snap polls being held either by the end of the current year or beginning of next year.

They take cue for their optimism about early general election from the on-going deal talks between the PPP of Benazir Bhutto, which could turn the tables for any side. They also feel that the upcoming visit by Benazir Bhutto to the US during which she will meet high-calibre Bush administration officials will also change the whole political scenario within the next few months.

The group leaders feel that the proposed postponement of the local bodies' polls was part of the new thinking in the Musharraf-led hierarchy about making amends to the earlier plans. There were indications that the on-going conflict in Sindh may lead to the sacking of Dr. Arbab Ghulam Rahim Khan to bring in his place a government of the PPP.