ISLAMABAD, May 20: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Monday decided to consult a cross-section of people, particularly political leaders, to take the nation into confidence about the situation arising out of unprovoked Indian shelling along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary.

Dawn officially learnt that apart from a meeting with politicians, a joint meeting of the cabinet and the National Security Council, and a consultative session with the editors of national dailies had also been lined up by the president’s secretariat for Wednesday.

“Invitations are being extended to all the political parties and groups,” said Information Secretary Anwer Mehmood when asked about the parties and political leaders being invited for consultation.

There would be no exception, said Mr Mehmood when asked whether any party would be left out.

On all previous occasions, including the president’s pre-Agra summit interaction with political leaders and other people, the PML(N) has not been invited, apparently to deny any official recognition to the former ruling party.

All other parties, including the ARD, have received the official invitation. But, till late Monday, the PML(N) had received no invitation from the government.

PML(N) chairman Raja Zafrul Haq said that the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy had decided to take a collective decision on the issue of accepting the invitation.

ARD leader Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan has established contacts with other ARD leaders and the Jamaat-i-Islami chief, and reached an understanding with them to take a joint decision whether to accept or reject the invitation.

At its last meeting, the ARD had imposed a discipline on all the component parties not to accept individual invitations of meetings with the president.

JI chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed was approached personally by the Principal Secretary to the President, Tariq Aziz, for extending invitation to him, a political source said.

Tehrik-i-Insaaf leader Imran Khan, Millat Party chief Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari and pro-government faction of PML (Quaid-i-Azam group) were included in the list of invitees.