Unanimity on most issues: Rabbani : ‘Charter of demands’ panel meets
By Amir Wasim
ISLAMABAD, Dec 4: A committee formed by former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif to iron out differences on the issue of the Jan 8 election began its deliberations here on Tuesday.
PPP’s Raza Rabbani claimed unanimity of views between two sides on 95 per cent of issues. The remaining five per cent were about modalities and not the substance, he told Dawn.
Without elaborating, he said the differences would come under discussion in a meeting to be held on Wednesday.
Ms Bhutto and Mr Sharif, as heads of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) and the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM), after a marathon meeting on Monday had agreed that their decision about taking part in the polls or otherwise would depend on President Pervez Musharraf’s response to their charter of demands for ensuring free and fair elections.
They also decided to move away from their respective positions on the elections and constituted a committee to prepare the charter of demands aimed at creating an atmosphere for free and fair elections, to be presented to President Musharraf.
The committee includes Mian Raza Rabbani, Dr Safdar Abbasi, Naveed Malik and Abdul Qadeer from the ARD and Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal, Abdur Rahim Mandokhel and Prof Khurshid Ahmed from the APDM.
Mr Rabbani conceded that there was a difference of opinion on the issue of restoration of the judges who had refused to take the oath under the Provisional Constitution Order, but said it was only a “difference of perception”. He said the judges’ issue would definitely be there in the charter of demands.
The PPP leader said the committee would finalise the draft of the charter and put it before the leadership of the ARD and the APDM for approval and further action within 48 to 72 hours.
The APDM has announced that it will boycott elections held under the Musharraf regime, while the PPP is in favour of participating in them. The APDM has taken a tough stand on the issue of judges and is demanding restoration of the pre-emergency judiciary, while the PPP has so far been non-committal on the issue.
