November 08, 2006	Wednesday	Shawwal 15, 1427

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LAHORE, Nov 7: The PML-N will propose at the Nov 14 meeting of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy that an all-party conference should be held in London in the presence of both the exiled former prime ministers to take concrete decisions to pull down the present setup and pave the way for free and fair general election, a central leader of the party said on Tuesday.

Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, the secretary-general of both the PML-N and the ARD, told Dawn that his party was convinced that such a conference was necessary for a joint programme by all opposition parties. “Of course, we’ll like to invite the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal to the proposed APC”.

Heads of the ARD components are due to meet in Islamabad on Nov 14 to review the general political situation in the country and decide the coalition’s future course of action.

The situation in Bajaur following an attack on a religious seminary - which led to the killing of more than 80 people - and the unrest in Balochistan would come under discussion, said Jhagra.

He said an APC was necessary to convert the combined opposition into a grand alliance. He said any difference of opinion on the subject would be resolved in the presence of Ms Benazir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif.

At present, the PPP is not in favour of setting up a formal opposition alliance of which the MMA is also a part. It is of the view that the ARD and the MMA should continue to operate from their respective platforms - although their objectives were similar.

The Punjab PPP president had said in a recent interview that the MMA was what he called the B-team of the present rulers and that no cooperation with it was possible unless the religious alliance quit the Balochistan coalition.

Jhagra said at the Nov 14 meeting smaller components of the ARD would be taken into confidence about the Benazir-Sharif meeting in London on Oct 19.

Both the former prime ministers, he said, had agreed that no ARD party should ridicule or criticize any other opposition party at a stage when there was a dire need for unity in their ranks for a potent movement against the present rulers.

Jhagra said it was too early to say whether the ARD should be converted into an election alliance. He said a decision on the subject would be taken at an appropriate time.

The PML-N secretary-general said that all district coordinators were required to submit their reports about their assessment of the situation in areas allocated to them to Mr Sharif by the end of the current month. These reports would deal with the position of the PML-N in every constituency and the situation the party was likely face in the election.

All coordinators would be meeting with Mr Sharif in London from Dec 4 to 15.