April 12, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 23, 1428

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LAHORE, April 11: Any party signatory to the Charter of Democracy cannot make a deal with the military rulers and the PPP is not expected to violate the CoD, PML-N Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq says.

Giving his reaction on the views expressed by Ms Benazir Bhutto in an interview to a private TV channel, Raja said any deal by a democratic party with dictatorship would give a severe blow to the ongoing struggle for democracy.

Also, he warned, such a move would lead to the ‘death’ of the ARD.

The PML-N chairman said a deal would also weaken the very party signing it.

Asked about the reservations expressed by Ms Bhutto about cooperation with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal the PML-N was so close to, he said the religious alliance was part of the parliamentary system and could not be ‘cornered’. Similarly, he said, it would not be wise to say that the MMA could not be taken along in the struggle for democracy.

Replying to a question about the fate of the proposed grand opposition alliance in case the MMA was to be kept out, the PML-N leader said his party had decided to set up a joint action committee which would have representation from all major parties and alliances, including the MMA.

He said the JAC would launch a joint struggle for democracy.

“We’ll decide our course of action in case the PPP expressed reservations about the MMA”.

MMA President Qazi Husain Ahmed insisted that a grand opposition alliance was the call of the hour.

He said the MMA was the biggest opposition alliance and in case the PPP was not willing to sit with it, there was no future of democracy in the country.

He advised PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif to call an all-party conference to discuss the situation and chart the future course of action. The proposed moot, he said, should be attended by the top leadership of the invitees.

He said the APC could also decide how a grand alliance could be set up and whether and when the MMA should quit the coalition in Balochistan.

Qazi Husain said Ms Bhutto was right in her claim that the PPP and the MMA had different ideologies. But, he argued, restoration of democracy and the Constitution was a demand being made by all parties. These demands, he said, did not involve ideologies and all parties could join hands to mount pressure on the rulers to accept them.

Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan said no opposition party should hold any kind of talks with Gen Musharraf as they would only weaken the struggle being made by opposition parties for a democratic system.

He said when one party held talks, others grew suspicious about their intentions and they too started efforts to get involved in the process. As a consequence, the attention was deflected from the movement.

Opposition parties, Imran Khan said, should only call upon Gen Musharraf to set up an interim government to hold free and fair elections.

At a time when the Chief Justice of Pakistan had taken such a bold stand, Imran Khan said all parties should stand behind him as this was the only way to mount pressure on the rulers to set up an independent and autonomous election commission.

The PTI chairman supported the demand that the MMA should quit the PML-led coalition in Balochistan. In his opinion it was because of the MMA’s presence in the coalition that opposition parties could not send a clear message to the people about their agenda.

He said in case the religious alliance was still reluctant to part ways with the Balochistan government, opposition parties should try to find grounds on the basis of which they could get together.

ANP Secretary-General Ehsan Wyne said it appeared as if Ms Bhutto would be willing to accept Gen Musharraf as president if he took off his military uniform and held free and fair polls.

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