LAHORE, Feb 11: A PPP think-tank, at its maiden meeting in the metropolis on Sunday, recommended that President Musharraf’s plan to get himself re-elected from the existing assemblies and strategy to thwart the government’s alleged designs to rig elections should be major subjects on the agenda of a multi-party conference, which should be hosted by the ARD, not any party in its individual capacity.

The participants, who met under the chairmanship of Jehangir Badr, were of the view that it was the responsibility of all opposition parties to resist every step Gen Musharraf may take to rig the polls.

The brainstorming session continued for some five hours, and about a dozen participants, from all provinces and AJK, expressed their views about the situation the country is passing through and the steps needed to avert the crises ahead.

The next meeting of the think-tank is likely to be held in Karachi by the middle of next month. Subsequently, similar sessions will be held in other provinces and AJK. It is proposed that the think-tank should meet fortnightly.

Although the PPP has already prepared a 36-point document spelling out measures to ensure transparent and impartial elections, the recommendations of the think-tank could enlarge the list.

Badr, the convener of the body set up recently by the self-exiled PPP chairperson, linked the survival of the country to democracy, and democracy’s future to free and fair elections. “If political parties are excluded from the process, terrorism will reign,” he warned.

He said his party was not contesting the election against any other party. In fact, he said, the PPP was pitched against the “state machinery”.

Opposing the idea of boycotting the elections, he said, the country would plunge into a dangerous situation — and become an extremist state — if the parties in the ARD and others stayed out of the electoral process.

He said mobilising the people was not a ‘push-button’ operation, and political parties would have to hold consultations to be able to achieve their targets.

About a suggestion that opposition parties should tender resignations, Badr said it was the personal opinion of the maker.

Sardar Assef Ahmad Ali said Pakistan was the only country whose elections were dependent upon its foreign policy. “The United States seems bent upon supporting Gen Musharraf. Our general elections and the election of the president have been internationalised. This is deplorable. The West should review its thinking. They are not supporting Pakistan, but are backing Gen Musharraf,” he said.

He was of the view that if there was anti-Americanism in Pakistan, the US policies were to blame.

Senator Lateef Khosa cited various articles of the Constitution in the light of which Gen Musharraf was not the legitimate president of the country nor was eligible to get himself re-elected. In case he still decided to go ahead, it would be for a “fifth term”, not second, as being claimed by the ruling party leaders, and that, too, would be unconstitutional.

His argument is in direct clash with Ms Bhutto’s recent assertions that Gen Musharraf’s current term would come to an end in December, 2008, and he could go for another term in the beginning of 2009.

It is said that Senator Khosa will explain his arguments to the PPP chairperson.

Begum Abida Husain alleged that the GHQ wanted all things done according to its own plans, and it would support only such politicians as could endorse all their policies.

The elections held by the present rulers in the past, she said, were not free and fair nor would the ones due by the end of the year.

She proposed that a workshop should be organised on electoral malpractices so that people could be told how to prevent manipulations.

She also proposed various steps for the provision of “Roti, kapra aur makan (food, clothing and housing) to people, as promised by the PPP in its manifesto”.

Balochistan PPP President Nawabzada Lashkari Raesani said the army should return to the barracks, transferring power to the elected representatives.

He said it was regrettable that recommendations of a parliamentary committee on Balochistan had not been implemented so far.

Aftab Shaban Mirani, Ali Nawaz Shah, Yousaf Talpur, Fahmida Mirza, Balakh Sher Mazari, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Maj Anwar Alvi (retired), Masood Kausar, Adnan Bashir and Mian Abdul Waheed also attended the meeting.