ISLAMABAD, June 2: Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto and Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Nawaz Sharif met in Dubai on Friday and discussed the prevailing political situation in Pakistan, particularly after the May 14 signing of the Charter of Democracy by the two parties, sources in the ARD told Dawn.

The meeting took place at the residence of PML-N’s parliamentary leader in the Senate, Ishaq Dar, where Ms Bhutto had arrived for a dinner with Mr Sharif. It was the third meeting between the two former prime ministers in the last 40 days and the first since the signing of the Charter of Democracy.

Mr Sharif has been on a private visit to Dubai for a couple of days.

The sources said the two leaders discussed the recent “overtures,” made by the Gen Musharraf regime with the two parties after the signing of the charter. They said Ms Bhutto and Mr Sharif had agreed at their meeting held in April that they would keep each other informed about any contact made with any of them by the government in an effort to counter the government’s disinformation campaign regarding contacts with the exiled leadership.

“Basically, it was a meeting of minds and to reinforce the commitment that they would not hold talks with the military regime individually,” said a senior PPP leader.

The sources, however, said the main purpose of the meeting was to finalise the agenda for the planned July 2 meeting of the ARD in London. They said the two leaders had a detailed discussion on the political situation in Pakistan with a view to strengthening the movement for restoration of democracy.