NEW YORK, Feb 23: Declaring himself 'fighting fit', the president of Pakistan Muslim League-N, Mr Shahbaz Sharif, called for reconciliation among all political parties and the army, in the spirit of 'give and take'.

At a gathering of PML-N workers, where he fielded questions from the press, Mr Sharif was visibly angered by questions about his marriage with Tehmina Durrani. He said: "Yes, I was married in summer of 2003; this is my personal matter. I don't want to answer any questions about it."

Asked whether he would include army in the reconciliation dialogue, he said: "Yes, in the spirit of give and take we have to talk in the spirit of genuine national reconciliation, let bygones be bygones, forgive and forget without compromising on your principled stand. It is a question of give and take."

However, most questions at the party meeting were about his marriage to Tehmina Durrani. "Leave me alone," Mr Sharif retorted, when questioned consistently about his third marriage, which was solemnized in June 2003, but made public only recently. The news took even his close friends and supporters by surprise.

He denied there was any pressure from his family to dissolve the marriage. "There is no such pressure," he said. It was Mr Sharif's first appearance after doctors gave him a clean bill of health following a series of medical tests, including a biopsy on his spleen.

While fielding questions about his marriage, Mr Sharif appeared uncomfortable, his mood ranging from one of irritation to exasperation. When asked whether the marriage would have any impact on his political future and whether his family and brother, the former prime minister, objected to it, he said: "My family is comfortable with my decision and it will not have any impact on my political future."

Asked whether he will call for elections in 2005, he said: "I will wait for the decision of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy. But we have to hold genuine free and fair elections."

Admitting that Pakistan Muslim League had made many mistakes in the past, he said: "We learn from our mistakes." He also called for an "independent and strong judiciary".

He said both the political leadership and the army leadership should realize that 58 years of confrontation had undermined the economic progress of the country which was not good for Pakistan.

As regards meetings between Pakistan People's Party chairperson and his brother Nawaz Sharif in Jeddah, he said: "We have the one-point agenda that is to restore democracy in the country."

In reply to a question, he said: "There are no deals being cut with the government and only deal we will make will be with the people of Pakistan." Later, Mr Sharif flew to London, accompanied by his sons Hamza and Sulaiman who had joined him here after doctors recommended a biopsy.