ISLAMABAD, Jan 5: Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto has summoned senior party leaders to Dubai for a meeting on Jan 9 to discuss the strategy for a multi-party conference in London, proposed by Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) chief Nawaz Sharif for next month, sources told Dawn on Friday.

The sources said Ms Bhutto had asked People’s Party Parliamentarians president Makhdoom Amin Fahim, secretary-general Raja Pervez Ashraf, deputy secretary-general Senator Mian Raza Rabbani and Senator Dr Safdar Abbasi to reach Dubai for the meeting in which the strategy for the next general elections would also be discussed.

PPP information secretary Sherry Rehman is already in the United Arab Emirates in connection with the birth anniversary celebrations of late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

The meeting is taking place amid contradictory reports coming from the government as well as the opposition parties about moves for a deal between the PPP and the Musharraf regime before the elections.

The recent statement by Ms Bhutto that her party was ready to participate in the elections under Gen Musharraf has exposed the rift within the ranks of the opposition parties as the PML-N is reluctant to make any such commitment before time.

A similar rift is also evident in the ranks of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, where Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed is against participating in elections held under the rule of Gen Musharraf whereas Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has expressed his willingness to take part in the polls under the present military regime.

Sources in the PML-N said Mr Sharif was not happy over the stance of the PPP as he believed that such a decision should only be announced from the platform of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy or the joint opposition.

Mr Sharif wants to hold the conference in London to formulate a joint strategy of all the opposition parties regarding the elections and for the purpose he is contacting the leaders of all the parties. PML-N information secretary Ahsan Iqbal said the conference was expected to be held in the second week of February.

PPP sources said Ms Bhutto had convened the meeting of party’s leaders to review its relationship with other opposition parties, particularly with the PML-N.

They said the PPP leaders would also finalise a provisional list of the possible party candidates for the elections.