ISLAMABAD, March 17: The Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-N will soon hold talks to work out a mechanism for implementation of the Charter of Democracy (CoD).

Sources told Dawn on Tuesday the parties would suggest a legislation for structural changes in the procedure for appointment in judiciary, election commission and defence services.

The sources said the PML-N had agreed to start dialogue if it was held with a PPP team led by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and not President Asif Ali Zardari.

PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif has invited the prime minister to a lunch during his forthcoming visit to Lahore.

The sources said that preliminary talks would focus on smooth restoration of the deposed judges. In the next phase, the two parties would try to agree on constitutional amendments in accordance with the guidelines set in the CoD.

The sources said JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman and ANP president Asfandyar Wali Khan, who had played an important in defusing tensions between the PPP and the PML-N before the long march, were not expected to be part of the dialogue.

Senate’s Deputy Chairman Jan Mohammad Jamali, who had called on Mr Gilani on Monday, told Dawn that the prime minister was optimistic about relations with the Sharif brothers.

He said Mr Gilani was confident that things would start normalising with the two parties engaging themselves in talks on implementation of the CoD.
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