ISLAMABAD, Aug 31: Senior leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) summoned by the party’s chairperson Benazir Bhutto left for Dubai on Wednesday for consultations on the political situation in the country against the backdrop of local body elections.

Sources in the party said Makhdoom Amin Fahim and the four provincial presidents of the party flew to Dubai on a short notice.

They said that some other leaders, including secretary-general Raja Pervez Ashraf, MNA Naheed Khan and Dr Safdar Abbasi were also expected to be in Dubai in a day or two.

The sources said that Ms Bhutto had summoned the party office- bearers before the ARD meeting to be held on Sept 3 to discuss the possible option of boycotting the third phase of the local government elections in which towns and district Nazims would be elected.

A senior PPP leader confirmed that the party leadership was seriously considering the option of boycotting the next phase of the polls due to the “massive rigging” in the first two phases.

He said the party had realized that elections could not be held in a free and fair manner under the government of Gen Pervez Musharraf.

He said that assurances by the US that the general elections in 2007 would be free and fair proved the opposition’s claim that the October 2002 elections were “rigged and manipulated.”

The PPP leader said that the “massive rigging” in the local polls by the government had forced the opposition parties and other democratic forces to think about launching a forceful agitation against the government.