February 01, 2007	Thursday	Muharram 12, 1428

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 31: Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) chief Nawaz Sharif and People’s Party Parliamentarians president Makhdoom Amin Fahim are expected to meet in Dubai in a few days to discuss the issue of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s participation in the proposed conference in London.

PML-N information secretary Ahsan Iqbal told Dawn on Wednesday that both Mr Fahim and Mr Sharif were in the United Arab Emirates recently but they could not hold a meeting as the former prime minister was busy in looking after his brother Abbas Sharif, who had recently undergone angioplasty.

Mr Iqbal said Mr Fahim had left for London and he would be back in Dubai in three to four days.

He expressed the hope that the issue of holding of the conference would be resolved in the meeting.

Mr Sharif wants to hold the conference to formulate a joint strategy of all the opposition parties regarding the forthcoming general elections.

However, the PPP leaders have called for convening the conference from the platform of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy.

Ms Bhutto is reported to be reluctant to attend the conference because of the participation of the religious parties in it.

The PPP, the sources said, also believed that the conference was being convened before time and it should be held once the government came out with its plan regarding President Pervez Musharraf’s re-election.

The sources said the PML-N had expressed willingness to delay the conference till the first week of March to ensure Ms Bhutto’s participation but the PPP leaders were not ready to give any commitment in this regard.