ISLAMABAD, Sept 5: Acting parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Tuesday claimed that the opposition parties were united on one platform and heading towards formation of a grand national alliance.

Speaking at a news conference with PML-N information secretary Ahsan Iqbal and vice-president of the party’s Islamabad chapter Anjum Aqeel here, Chaudhry Nisar said the September 17 public meeting in Quetta would be the first gathering of all the opposition parties from the joint platform.

The PML-N leader said soon the opposition would formally announce formation of the grand national alliance. He said few days back a meeting was held at his Rawalpindi residence in which the opposition leaders agreed that there was no use of sitting in the present parliament. He said all the opposition leaders had agreed to resign from the parliament. However, he said, the timing for the move would be finalised later. “There was no difference of opinion and all of them agreed that the decision of resignation would come from the joint opposition platform,” he said.

He claimed that it was the PML-N which was of the opinion that the opposition leaders should immediately resign from the assemblies, but some leaders were of the view that they should wait for an appropriate time.

Chaudhry Nisar said all the opposition parties and groups, including the ARD, MMA, PONM, ANP and PTI had decided to launch a joint and decisive struggle for an end to military role in politics, restoration of constitution and to ensure free and fair elections under an independent and powerful election commission.

The PML-N leader said there were reports that the government had entered into a peace treaty with the fighters in Waziristan. He said had the government adopted the same strategy from the day one, 600 army officers and troops would not have lost their lives. He said there had been widespread protests in the country against the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti. He said even the government members like Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Zafarullah Jamali and Mushahid Hussain had not supported Gen Musharraf’s decision to kill Akbar Bugti. He said the killing of Akbar Bugti had provided the opposition parties an opportunity to get united.

Chaudhry Nisar said the military rulers were repeating the mistake which they committed in 1971. He said every Pakistani believed that Gen Musharraf and the federation of Pakistan could not coexist. He said the “trigger-happy” government had put the country’s stability at stake.

He also demanded that nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan should be freed on medical ground.

Replying to a question, Chaudhry Nisar said the PPP leaders had assured the PML-N and other opposition parties that they would support the anti-government movement.

PML-N information secretary Ahsan Iqbal said if Akbar Bugti was a terrorist and an anti-state element, then why Chaudhry Shujaat and Mushahid Hussain had gone to hold talks with him.