April 13, 2006	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 14, 1427

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NEW YORK, April 12. The President of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Mian Shahbaz Sharif, said here on Tuesday that his party would propose all political parties to sign on a comprehensive one-point agenda that after the elections in 2007 they would form a consensus national government.

“Such a national government should remain in power for five years without any interference or disruption from other parties in order to ensure, once for all, that military is never able to interfere in the politics of the country,” Mr Sharif said while talking to reporters in New York.

Conceding that the proposal was predicated on an improbable preposition that the elections in 2007 would be held by a truly independent election commission in a free and fair way, Mr Sharif said that without such an agreement “we cannot ensure no-interference from the GHQ in the future.”

He proposed that such a national government should be entrusted to work on a pre-agreed national agenda aimed at ensuring integrity of the federation and restoration of peoples’ faith in politicians.

“We must endeavour to root out corruption from all segments of society” said Mr Sharif, adding that “all this is predicated upon General Musharraf’s allowing free and fair elections”.

Shahbaz Sharif, who returned to Pakistan two years ago but was sent back to Saudi Arabia, said that the PML-N was willing to make every sacrifice for a national government.

He said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was willing to meet leader of Pakistan Peoples Party Benazir Bhutto to chalk out a strategy. Mr Sharif said: “If PPP gets majority in the next parliament the PML-N will accept Ms Bhutto as leader of the consensus national government.”

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to come to New York by the end of May.