LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari telephoned Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Shahbaz Sharif on Monday to exchange Eid greetings and discuss national political scenario.

A source said the two leaders also discussed agenda and participants of the proposed multi-party conference (MPC) pending for the last many weeks apparently because of Mr Sharif’s health reasons.

The source quoted the PML-N leader as assuring the PPP chief that he was feeling healthy enough to attend the MPC, which is most likely to be held in Islamabad.

Mr Sharif, who is also opposition leader in National Assembly, agreed to send a party delegation to discuss MPC agenda and other issues before the Rehbar Committee, tasked to set the MPC agenda, meets this week.

Responding to a query, a PPP leader tells Dawn that they prefer N-League to host the event being the largest opposition partner and if not then Mr Bhutto-Zardari would hold the moot.

He says leaders of both the parties also discussed possibilities of developing a narrative and an alliance against “Selected Democracy” and for a true or real democracy.

He claims that the two leaders also considered various means for resisting the federation’s move to declare Karachi a federal territory.

A press release issued by the PPP says both the leaders expressed their concern at “failures” of the government on Kashmir issue and quoted Mr Bhutto-Zardari as saying while India is committing atrocities on Kashmiris, Prime Minister Imran Khan is trying to extend relief to convicted Indian spy agent Kulbushan Jadhav.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2020