LONDON, Oct 2: Pakistan People’s Party sources here sounded highly sceptical about what they said a repetition of a promise that the government had kept dangling in front of the party for the past one year that it would offer total indemnity to the governments that ruled the country between 1988 and 1999 but without taking any concrete steps.

These sources were reacting to media reports quoting federal ministers Shaikh Rashid and Tariq Azeem that a draft of the relevant ordinance to be issued within days has been exchanged between the government and Benazir Bhutto and an accord was just round the corner.

When Dawn asked these sources for their comments they said the move appeared to them to be a decoy on the part of the government on the eve of a very important meeting of the People’s Party’s Central Working Committee on Wednesday in which they are expecting the party to decide to resign en masse from the assemblies before October 6.

Also, they said, the purpose of these stories was to further malign the PPP chairperson, making it appear as if she was interested only in getting her cases withdrawn and that she cared two hoots about democracy.

“They are playing a cunning game of deception,” the sources added. The PPP and President General Musharraf have been talking for almost one whole year seeking a power-sharing arrangement after the next general election scheduled some time in December or early 2008.

One of the three major conditions that Ms Bhutto is said to have put forward is an across-the-board indemnity to all the governments between 1988 and 1999.