KARACHI, April 20: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan People’s Party have reached an understanding on a 10-point ‘charter of democracy’ which would be made public after its ratification by Mian Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto in their meeting in London.

The meeting, which was originally scheduled for April 22, has been deferred till next month.

This was stated by Mamnoon Hussain, a central leader of the PML-N while talking to a group of journalists on Thursday.

Mr Hussain, who returned on Tuesday from London after attending the central executive committee meeting of the party, clarified reasons for deferment of their scheduled meeting, saying the proposed meeting was planned on the eve of reference being organized in London for late veteran leader Khan Abdul Wali Khan.

He said, as the scheduled reference had been put off by the ANP to some other date in next month, PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto had also deferred her visit to London.

Dispelling the impression of a likely deal between the PPP and the government as the cause for deferment of their meeting, Mr Hussain, who is former Sindh governor, termed it as disinformation by the vested quarters who did not like to see two mainstream political parties come closer.

He said that an earlier meeting had been planned on the occasion of the ANP’s reference meeting for Wali Khan had been fixed for April 22 in London where Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were supposed to speak along with other political leaders invited by the ANP leadership.

Mr Hussain, who was promoted from acting president of the PML-N Sindh chapter to senior vice president, said that initially the PPP had proposed 30 points for framing the charter of democracy while PML-N had suggested 44 points.

After consideration of these points, both sides had reached an understanding over 10 major points. These points include appointment of new chief election commissioner with consensus, holding of elections by a caretaker set up, restoration of the 1973 Constitution to the position of Oct 12, 1999, restructuring of the new local government system on the right lines, and implementing a foolproof judicial system in the country to ensure social justice.