LAHORE, Oct 5: Although the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy is meeting on Friday to discuss a new phase of the anti-government movement, the two major components of the coalition, the PPP and the PML-N, have no new ideas to float to pressure the rulers to hold the elections before 2007.
Similarly, the gulf between the PPP and the MMA remains as wide as ever, making the cooperation between the two sides rather difficult, if not impossible.
However, a top PML-N leader said on the condition of anonymity that the situation created by the government because of the Swiss case against Ms Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari would leave no option for the PPP but to join hands with other anti-government forces, including the MMA.
The PPP and the MMA leaders will come face to face at a meeting of the opposition’s steering committee scheduled for Oct 8.
The PPP sources say that the party would first like to sit with the MMA and settle the reservations which have kept the two sides apart in the past. Modalities of launching a movement would come under discussion only after the misunderstandings had been removed, they said.
They said some parties wanted the steering committee of the opposition parties enlarged and the matter would come under discussion on Oct 8.
The PML-N sources said during Ramazan, the ARD leaders would approach people from various walks of life and try to win their support for a movement. No other activity should be expected during the month of fasting, they said.
After Ramazan, the sources said, the opposition would prepare a plan for public meetings in various parts of the country.
A calibrated and time-bound movement should be planned after Ramazan, the PML-N sources said, adding that thus alone could the opposition parties bring the rulers to terms.
A PPP leader said although MMA president Qazi Husain Ahmad had announced that the opposition parties would launch a movement after Ramazan, the modalities were yet to be worked out. He hoped that the matter would be discussed at length when the leaders of the two sides met.
Punjab MMA president Liaquat Baloch said on Wednesday the proposals formulated by the steering committee at its three meetings would come under discussion on Oct 8.
He said seminars, public meetings, corner meetings and a jurist conference had been proposed by the steering committee.
He said if a grand opposition alliance could not be formed, the MMA would propose the establishment of joint action committees at the province, district and tehsil levels.
The MMA leader said it would be proposed that one party should organize a public meeting in a district and all other opposition parties should participate.