LAHORE, April 24: Former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif met at the latter’s Park Lane apartment in London on Monday with both sides renewing their pledge to restore democracy in the country by getting rid of the military rule.

They also resolved to return to Pakistan, together if possible.

This was their second meeting in 14 months, the first was held in Jeddah on Feb 10 last year.

Ms Bhutto was accompanied by Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Wajid Shamsul Hasan and former FIA chief Rehman Malik.

Shahbaz Sharif, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra and Syed Ghous Ali Shah assisted Mr Sharif in the two-hour talks.

The two leaders will meet again on May 14 when they are expected to approve a ‘charter of democracy’, besides working out a strategy for next elections.

A meeting of the ARD parties will be called on July 2 which would discuss decisions taken by the two major coalition components. The two leaders were earlier expected to meet in Dubai on Jan 8 when Mr Sharif was there to offer condolences over the death of the Dubai ruler. However, the meeting could not take place because of the PPP chairperson’s scheduled US visit.

A joint statement issued after the meeting on Monday expressed concern on the deteriorating political and worsening economic situation in the country, and called for free and fair elections under an interim government of national consensus and an independent and autonomous election commission, open to all political parties and political leaders.

Both leaders agreed to vigorously pursue the course of democracy and re-affirmed their resolve to restore the 1973 Constitution.

They also rejected the NAB and what they called its attempts to pervert the course of justice through politically-motivated cases to re-engineer the country’s political system.

Calling for withdrawal of all such cases, the statement demanded release of Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Khwaja Saad Rafiq, Zaeem Qadri, Junaid Buland, Bismillah Kakar, Pir Mukramma Shah, Afaq Ahmed Khan, Amer Khan and other political prisoners.

The two leaders condemned increasing incidents of terrorism in the society.

Mr Sharif said in a separate interview that Gen Musharraf was extending support to war on terrorism because of “expediency”.

He said the general wanted the world community to legitimise his rule, adding that it was the only reason why he was fighting the war against terror.

The PML-N leader said while parliament was in a better position to take a decision on how the menace should be eradicated, the general was taking all decisions by himself without consulting legislators.

He said the US should engage with the people of Pakistan, instead of dealing with an individual.

He said fair elections were not possible in the presence of Gen Musharraf or by keeping what he called the main players out of the arena.

Meanwhile, the PML-N expressed reservations about the meeting of a PPP delegation with the Chief Election Commissioner in Islamabad on Monday.

“This amounts to breach of trust between the PPP and the PML-N as the former did not take the latter — or any other party of the ARD— into confidence,” a senior party leader said.

He said that all ARD parties had been demanding appointment of a new Chief Election Commissioner in consultation with opposition parties. “The PPP delegation’s meeting amounts to according recognition to the new CEC”.