LAHORE, Dec 8: A crucial meeting of the All Parties Democratic Movement will be held here on Sunday to take a final decision on whether the alliance’s components should boycott or contest the Jan 8 elections.
Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader Nawaz Sharif will chair the meeting at his Model Town residence.
While most of the APDM parties are in favour of staying away from the electoral process, they want to take the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) along.
However, the JUI (F) will not participate in Sunday’s meeting. “We have already taken a decision to take part in the elections, and we don’t want to confuse our leaders and workers by sitting in the company of those who want to boycott the process. We are already carrying out campaign for our candidates,” sources in the JUI (F) told Dawn.
The sources said that the information about APDM’s meeting had been conveyed by a telephone operator to Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s operator, which the JUI (F) thinks is not the right way to extend an invitation to the head of an important party.
An important JUI (F) leader said boycotting the elections was against the spirit of the parliamentary process. “If some parties boycott the elections, but the voters go to the polling stations in large numbers, how would it be possible for the boycotters to allege that the elections were rigged,” he wondered.
He argued that the parties represented in parliament would be in a better position to block Gen Musharraf’s plans, refuse indemnity to what he had done and work for the independence of the judiciary.
The PML (N) is not only divided on the issue, but also more leaders are in favour of taking part in the elections, but they don’t know how they will be able to participate if their condition that the judiciary should be restored to its pre-Nov 3 position is not met.
Important PML (N) leaders will hold a separate meeting before the APDM talks on Sunday to take a decision.
The PML (N) has given Dec 26 as the deadline for finally announcing its decision on boycott.
Amjad Mahmood adds: Jamaat-i-Islami Amir Qazi Hussain Ahmed met former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday morning and told him that the JI was determined to boycott the general election.
The JI chief went to Mr Sharif’s Raiwind farmhouse to have first-hand information on PML (N) leader’s interaction with PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto.
