May 31, 2005	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 22, 1426

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LAHORE, May 30: A committee constituted by former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Ms Benazir Bhutto at a meeting in Jeddah in February to prepare a code of conduct is scheduled to meet in Islamabad on June 3 (Friday). The PML-N will be represented by Senator Ishaq Dar and former MNA Ahsan Iqbal.

Senator Raza Rabbani and MNA Dr Safdar Abbasi will represent the PPP.

The code of conduct will be the minimum agenda the two parties will follow for what they call a real democracy.

It will commit the two parties, allies on the platform of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy, not to compromise with dictatorship in any situation.

Senator Dar, an adviser to the UAE government, has already reached Pakistan to take part in the committee meeting. Ahsan Iqbal, who is based in Madinah and works for the Saudi government, is reaching during the next few days.

It is said that Ms Bhutto has already sent the outlines of the code of conduct to Mr Sharif. However, the PML-N will come up with some counter-proposals at the June 3 meeting.

Sources say that the committee will be able to finalize the code in a few meetings. In case it could not be finalized on June 3, the next meeting might be held after the budget, which is scheduled to be announced on June 6.

Answering a question, the sources said that although the code of conduct was being worked out by two parties, other components of the ARD would also be welcome to join the exercise.

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