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| November 15, 2006 | Wednesday | Shawwal 22, 1427 |
ARD meeting fails to adopt action plan
ISLAMABAD, Nov 14: A meeting of the heads of parties in the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy, held here on Tuesday to discuss political situation in the country in the aftermath of the Bajaur and Dargai tragedies, ended as usual with empty rhetoric and no action plan.
Briefing the media after the meeting, ARD Secretary-General Iqbal Zafar Jhagra said the alliance leadership held a thorough discussion on the prevailing political situation, and then offered 'fateha' for those killed in the air strike on a madressah in Bajaur and in the suicide attack on a military installation in Dargai.Mr Jhagra faced tough questions from reporters who wanted to know about decisions taken by the ARD leaders in the meeting. "We will try to find out ways to get rid of the rulers after consultations with other opposition groups," Mr Jhagra presented this as one of the major decisions taken at the meeting.
He said the ARD had decided not to strike any deal with the military regime. This was apparently another major decision, but Mr Jhagra was not in a position to say if individual members of the alliance were free to strike any deal.
"We demand that Gen Musharraf immediately resign (from the two offices) as we believe that free and fair elections are not possible under the present regime," said Mr Jhagra after he had been left by the senior leaders of the People's Party Parliamentarians and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) to face the media.
The ARD meeting was presided over by its chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim and was attended by PML-N chairman Raja Zafarul Haq, Tehmina Daultana, Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi and others.
Mr Jhagra termed the Dargai suicide attack, in which 42 army recruits were killed, a reaction to the Bajaur incident in which 83 students and teachers died in an air strike. He said the ARD members condemned the Bajaur and Dargai attacks.
He said that the ARD also expressed concern over the situation in Balochistan. He said that due to the lust for power of some army generals, the institution was being defamed.
Answering a question, Mr Jhagra stressed the need for convening an all party conference, in Pakistan or in London, with the participation of Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto.
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