ISLAMABAD, Jan 13: The People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) on Saturday announced that it would convene a meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) on Jan 20 to discuss the latest political developments as well as other outstanding issues on the national agenda, including the issue of participation in the multi-party conference (MPC) being organised by PML-N in London next month.
According to PPP Information Secretary Sherry Rehman, the CEC meeting would be held at the party’s Central Secretariat in Islamabad, and it would be presided over by PPP President and ARD chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim.
The CEC is convened in line with a decision taken by the senior party leadership at a meeting with party chairperson Benazir Bhutto in Dubai last week to finalize a strategy for the PML(N)-sponsored MPC in London.
Sources in the PPP told Dawn that party chairperson Benazir Bhutto was reluctant to attend the MPC as she did not want to enter into any agreement with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), which would also be present at the meeting.
They said the party had already decided in principle that Ms Bhutto would not attend the MPC, but the CEC was being convened to make a formal announcement in this regard.
Those present at the Dubai meeting were PPP president and ARD chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim, secretary-general Raja Pervez Ashraf, deputy secretary-general and opposition leader in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani, information secretary Sherry Rehman, Senator Dr Safdar Abbasi and Ms Naheed Khan, political secretary of Ms Bhutto.
The sources said there was a possibility that the party might not boycott the MPC and send its representatives to present the party’s viewpoint.
They said the PPP leaders were also annoyed at Mr Sharif’s move to convene the MPC from the PML-N platform without consulting the PPP, despite the fact that the two parties were allies in the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD).
They said the PPP leaders believed that such a conference could have been convened from the ARD platform.
Mr Sharif has convened an MPC in London to formulate a joint strategy by all opposition parties for the next general elections and for that purpose he is personally contacting leaders of all political parties by telephone.
Though a date for the meeting has not been finalized yet, according to PML-N secretary-general Iqbal Zafar Jhagra the conference was expected to be held in the second week of February.
When contacted, the PML-N secretary-general said the PPP had some misunderstanding about the MPC, and expressed the hope that it would be removed soon.
He said no decision had yet been taken as to who would host the MPC. He said if the PPP was willing to hold it from the ARD platform, his party was ready for that. He said the PML-N had only taken the initiative to unite the opposition parties at one platform.ARRESTS CONDEMNED: Meanwhile, Pakistan People’s Party has condemned the arrest of PPP workers in Jafferabad, Balochistan, and demanded an end to what it called state repression there and release of all its detained workers and activists.
Over 30 PPP workers were arrested in Jafferabad ahead of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain's visit to the restive province. The also beat the PPP workers who were protesting against the removal of the party flags.
In a statement issued here on Saturday, PPP spokesperson former Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the arrest of PPP workers was stifling the voice of the opposition and a blatant attempt to impose the one-party rule in the country.
He asked the regime not to push the opposition parties to the wall, warning that such “repressive” politics would endanger the unity and integrity of the federation, and it must be avoided.
"Balochistan and its people have already been subjected to worst kind of military operation and negation of their human rights and any further persecution for satisfying the ego of some one can result in a serious backlash.".
The party demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident, immediate release of all the detained activists and bringing to book all those involved in it, he said. The spokesperson also warned the local administration not to succumb to political pressures of the ruling party in hounding and harassing the opposition.
He said the party was keeping a watch on all such elements in the administration and would hold them accountable for their excesses.
The party also urged the human rights bodies to raise their voice against attempts to impose one-party rule in the country.
