LAHORE, May 31: The government should shun egomania and extend an invitation for talks to PPP Chairperson Ms Benazir Bhutto if it wants a positive response, party’s senior vice-chairman Makhdoom Amin Faheem said here on Friday.

At a news conference at the office of provincial information secretary Naveed Chaudhry, he said Ms Bhutto was the sole leader of the party, no matter she was at home or abroad.

The government wants the PPP to participate in a consultative meeting on the standoff between the two nuclear armed neighbours, which is being rescheduled in view of Gen Musharraf’s visit abroad. It has repeatedly stated that it would not contact both the former prime ministers, though they are heading their respective parties.

Asked if the PPP would not turn up in case the government refused to approach Ms Bhutto, Makhdoom insisted that the rulers should better get in contact with the twice elected prime minister. He said any decision on accepting or rejecting the invitation would be taken by the ARD, of which the PPP is a major constituent.

“Unless the government invites Ms Bhutto, no headway (for talks with the government) will be possible”.

He said it was for the government to decide whether it wants to give up obduracy or vacate the seat of power.

He pointed out that Ms Bhutto had not been convicted in any case and the sentence awarded to her was on account of her failure to appear before the trial court.

He said it was regrettable that a number of PPP leaders were behind the bars and their cases were lying undecided. Ms Bhutto’s spouse Asif Ali Zardari had been granted bail in all cases against him but he was not being set free for reason known only to the captors.

“This is not the way to hold talks”, Makhdoom said, underlining the need for a conducive atmosphere.

How can a government be expected to extend invitation to a leader who has consistently been demanding its resignation to clear the war clouds on the subcontinent, a reporter asked.

“The PPP will go to the negotiating table with an open mind. We’ll present our demands and as a result some common grounds can be found”, argued the PPP’s senior vice-chairman.

Asked if it was possible for Ms Bhutto to voluntarily undertake a visit to India, as there was no bar on her travel to that country, and play a role in defusing the tension, Makhdoom said India would change its attitude towards Pakistan once democratic rule was restored here.

The PPP leader said the country was passing through a very serious situation at present and there was a need for a complete unity among the nation.

The PPP, he said, also wanted to play its role in defending the country at this critical juncture of its history.

He said the national interest demanded that all personal interests and differences should be shunned for the timebeing and all energies devoted to the defence of the country.