May 23, 2007	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 06, 1428

ISLAMABAD, May 22: A senior Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) leader on Tuesday said the religious alliance leadership was ready to hold talks with the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) to remove misunderstandings between them in order to pave way for the formation of a grand opposition alliance.

Talking to Dawn, MNA Mian Mohammad Aslam said they would continue their efforts to bring the opposition parties on one platform in order to launch a decisive movement against the military regime.

Mian Aslam, who is hosting a conference of opposition parties at his residence in Islamabad on Friday, expressed his disappointment over the decision of the PPP of boycotting the meeting.

He said the MMA would continue its efforts to convince the PPP leaders to attend the conference till last moment.

“We have no objection, if they (PPP) want to curse us (MMA), but at least they (PPP) should not support and strengthen Gen Musharraf,” Mr Aslam said.

He said that opposition parties, including the nationalist parties, had accepted the MMA’s invitation and would participate in the grand opposition meeting on Friday.

He said the purpose of the conference was to discuss the prevailing political situation in the country after the May 12 bloodshed in Karachi and to finalise the future strategy.

He said the country was facing a severe crisis and the time had come for the opposition parties to get united on one platform.

Replying to a question, Mr Aslam said the issue of the formation of a grand opposition alliance would definitely be discussed in the conference.

MMA president Qazi Hussain Ahmed had already expressed the hope that the May 25 meeting would lay the foundation of a grand opposition alliance to launch a movement against the government.

He had stated that the religious alliance wanted all opposition parties to struggle from a common platform to mount pressure on Gen Musharraf to quit so that free and fair elections could be held under the supervision of an interim government of national consensus.

Without naming the PPP, Qazi said any party which did not attend the MMA-sponsored moot would isolate itself.

On the other hand, PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the party’s decision of boycotting the MMA’s conference was final and it could not be changed.

He said the PPP could not trust the MMA which was responsible for strengthening the Musharraf’s rule by supporting the 17th Constitutional Amendment.