ISLAMABAD Aug 7: Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal president Qazi Hussain Ahmed has expressed optimism that the country’s opposition leaders will be able to resolve their differences on forging of a grand alliance when they meet here on Aug 11.

Talking to Dawn on Sunday, he said the meeting at the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy’s all parties’ conference would help in galvanizing an alliance to wage a struggle against dictatorship.

He said all the opposition parties and leaders were convinced about the need for united struggle to root out dictatorship and restore democracy, sovereignty of parliament and the constitution.

He said the MMA had accepted the invitation by the ARD chairman for the APC and it would like to discuss all issues, including local body elections.

He said the ARD’s apprehensions about pre-poll rigging by the government were not baseless and those could become the basis for cooperation between the two alliances.

Talking about the Hasba bill, he said: “We are discussing various aspects of the Supreme Court opinion and may challenge the same in the apex court.”

He said that according to constitutional provisions the bill would automatically become an act if the governor returned it unsigned.