ISLAMABAD, April 17: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Benazir Bhutto will meet Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif in London on April 22, a source in the PPP told Dawn on Monday.

The source said that Ms Bhutto would reach London on April 21 and the following day she would hold talks with Mr Sharif on various issues, including signing of a “charter of democracy”.

The source said that Ms Bhutto and Mr Sharif had agreed to meet again on April 23, if they felt it necessary. President of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) Makhdoom Amin Fahim, secretary general Raja Pervez Ashraf, Jahangir Badr, Senator Enver Baig and secretary-general of the PPP Sindh Chapter Nafees Siddiqui are already in London to assist Ms Bhutto in the meeting.

A PPP delegation had held talks with Mr Sharif in London last Friday to finalise “charter of democracy.”

Mr Sharif will be assisted by Senator Ishaq Dar, former Sindh chief minister Syed Ghous Ali Shah and PML-N secretary general Iqbal Zafar Jhagra in the meeting.

Meanwhile, information secretary of the Awami National Party (ANP) Zahid Khan on Monday said that exiled leaders of three major political parties Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and Altaf Hussain would attend a reference in memory of late Awami National Party (ANP) leader Wali Khan in London on April 23.

Talking to a group of reporters at the Parliament House cafeteria here on Monday evening, the ANP leader said that his party had invited Ms Bhutto, Mr Sharif and Mr Hussain to attend the reference and all of them had confirmed their participation.

Mr Khan said that ANP president Asfandyar Wali Khan had already reached London after completing a two-week visit to the United States. He said that Asfandyar Wali was expected to hold separate meetings with Ms Bhutto, Mr Sharif and Mr Hussain during his stay in London.

The ANP information secretary said that Asfandyar Wali had held talks with various officials of the US government during his stay in that country.

Replying to a question, he said the ANP was not in contact with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) at any level. He said the ANP still held the MMA responsible for the strengthening of Gen Musharraf’s hold over the presidency. He said if the MMA wanted to join hands with other opposition parties in the struggle against the dictatorship, it would have to offer a public apology for supporting the government in the passage of the 17th Constitutional Amendment.