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| 24 April 2005 | Sunday | 14 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1426 |
PPP, PML-N try to repair rift
ISLAMABAD, April 23: Senior leaders of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will meet here on Monday to repair a rift between their parties, two main components of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD).
PML-N chairman Raja Zafarul Haq told Dawn that he had agreed to PPP president Makhdoom Amin Fahim’s proposal for a meeting when they met on Thursday evening.
The ARD received a big jolt when acting PML-N parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan announced at a news conference on Thursday that his party would stay away from all activities of the 17-party ARD owing to the attitude of the PPP.
He asked the PPP to clarify if it wanted to hold talks with the establishment or to launch a movement against the military government.
Mr Nisar accused the PPP leadership of not taking his party into confidence about plans for the reception for ex-senator Asif Zardari in Lahore on April 16, and expressed his concern over Mr Zardari’s statements that the PPP was holding talks with the rulers.
Soon after the news conference, Mr Fahim went to the PML-N chairman’s residence on the directive of party chairperson Benazir Bhutto.
Mr Haq quoted Mr Fahim as saying that Ms Bhutto had asked him to contact PML-N leaders to remove “misunderstandings and confusion” caused by Zardari’s statements.
Mr Haq said he had told Mr Fahim that the PML-N did not want to damage the ARD at this crucial time and it would be in the interest of both the parties to save the alliance from disintegration.
PML-N information secretary Siddiqul Farooque told Dawn that Mr Haq had convened a meeting of senior leaders and parliamentarians of the party on Wednesday to chalk out future strategy.
The meeting, he said, would review the current political situation in the country and make a final decision about its relationship with the PPP.
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