ISLAMABAD, April 21: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) received a big jolt on Thursday when the PML-N said it would stay away from all activities of the alliance owing to the ‘attitude of People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP)’. But the PPP said it would try to resolve the matter by holding talks with leaders of the second largest party in the main opposition alliance.
Speaking at a news conference here, PML-N’s acting parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan issued a long list of grievances against the PPP, ranging from changing of venues of ARD meetings to not taking the PML-N into confidence about its plans for welcoming Asif Ali Zardari in Lahore on April 16.
He said Mr Zardari had announced that he would lead a procession in Lahore on his arrival, but instead he went straight to his Bilawal House residence.
Chaudhry Nisar criticized the PPP leaders, saying their behaviour had changed dramatically after Mr Zardari’s arrival from Dubai. He said a state of confusion had been prevailing between the two parties since Mr Zardari’s return, adding that his party was concerned about Mr Zardari’s statements that the PPP was holding talks with the ruling junta.
Chaudhry Nisar said the PML-N had tried hard to help the ARD and the MMA get closer to each other but was disappointed with the outcome of meetings between the two alliances.
He said that on various occasions the PPP on its own either cancelled or changed the venues of public meetings announced from the ARD platform.
Chaudhry Nisar asked the PPP leaders to take the ARD into confidence on issues they were discussing with the establishment.
He advised the PPP leadership to give up what he called a “policy of running with the hare and hunting with the hound”. The PPP would get nothing from talks with Gen Pervez Musharraf, he added.
The PML-N leader said the PPP had been taking decisions for the past few weeks without consulting either the ARD or the PML-N. Though PML-N leaders had been in contact with Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Raza Rabbani and Aitzaz Ahsan, it seemed decisions in the PPP were being taken ‘somewhere else’, he added.
Chaudhry Nisar said he had asked the PPP to explain whether the PML-N should talk to Mr Fahim or Mr Zardari.
He said the PML-N wanted an early finalization and implementation of a code of ethics agreed between Mr Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto in their meeting in Jeddah.
The PML-N leader said confrontation and consultation could not go side by side, and asked the PPP leadership to make clear whether it wanted reconciliation with the regime or resistance.
He said that PML-N chairman Raja Zafarul Haq had convened a meeting of senior leaders of the party next week to chalk out future strategy, and added that till then the PML-N would not participate in any ARD programme or meeting.
But, he said, the PML-N would continue to cooperate with the PPP and all other opposition groups on issues of human and fundamental rights.
PPP VIEW: PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar appeared to play down differences between the two parties which, he said, the PPP would try to resolve.
“The PPP will remove misunderstandings by talking to PML-N leaders,” he told Dawn when asked to comment on Chaudhry Nisar’s statement. “Such misunderstandings do arise between parties but it does not mean that these cannot be clarified,” he said.
