LAHORE, July 22: The central executive committee of the PPP is due to meet in Karachi on Tuesday to decide the party’s response to Gen Musharraf’s invitation for talks on the package of constitutional amendments and the Political Parties Order.

Most of the party leaders are of the view that the PPP should not close the doors of talks with the regime and thus the invitation should be accepted.

They claim the government is still in contact with the PPP leadership. The latest offer, they say, is that if Ms Benazir Bhutto agrees to stay out from politics for a period of two years, the government could agree to changing its agenda. However, official sources don’t endorse the assertion.

The participants in the Tuesday meeting will also decide programme for intra-party polls to meet the requirements of the PPO.

Meanwhile, the PPP provincial executive at a meeting on Monday directed the party office-bearers of the relevant tiers to mobilize the masses. The PPP would not let the government wriggle out of its commitment to hold elections, provincial secretary-general Rana Aftab, information secretary Naveed Chaudhry and Lahore president Mian Misbahur Rehman said at a news conference after the meeting.

They said intra-party elections would be held in accordance with the provisions of the PPO. They said the party had about half a dozen candidates available for every constituency. Lists would be provided to the party chairperson for final selection after the announcement of the election schedule.

They protested that police officials were being transferred to help the PML-QA in the polls.

The participants reposed confidence in the leadership of Ms Benazir Bhutto. They said Ms Bhutto had been elected life chairperson and she would stay in office accordingly.