LAHORE, March 24: President Pervez Musharraf’s appeal to the electorate to throw the exiled leadership of the PML-N out of political arena, and the ruling party’s resolve to re-elect Gen Musharraf president for a second term despite his uniform will be an important subject of discussion at a two-day meeting of the PML-N central working committee, due to be opened by former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif at a hotel in London on Saturday (today).
This will be the first meeting to be held under his chairmanship after some seven years.
His speech will be followed by one to be made by party president Mian Shahbaz Sharif.
Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq will brief the participants about the situation in the country during the past six years. He is expected to explain the party position at present and the challenges it may have to face in the times ahead.
Then, secretary-general Iqbal Zafar Jhagra will present a report to the house.
The situation in Balochistan and Waziristan, tensions in the region and threats to Pakistan’s national security will also come under discussion.
At the same meeting, Ahsan Iqbal and Ishaq Dar will present ‘Charter of Democracy’ they had drafted on instructions from Mr Sharif to prevent military interventions in the future and promote better relationship among political parties.
It is said the CWC will discuss the charter and even propose amendments to improve it.
The PPP has also drafted a Charter of Democracy and the two parties are in contact with each other to evolve a consensus document.
The next general elections and the state of preparations will also be important subject on the agenda of the CWC meeting. The CWC leaders from Punjab will inform the exiled leaders how the ruling party was dangling baits to make the opposition legislators to change their loyalties. They will also brief them on the efforts they had made to block further defections and the legal problems they were having to face.
The PML-N leaders will also examine the performance of the opposition parties over the past six years and the measures needed for an effective strategy to have the democratic system restored. The party’s organizational matters will be discussed on the second day of the meeting.
The participants will also express their views on when the exiled leaders should come back to Pakistan. They will also explain how the absence of the Sharifs from Pakistan had affected the party. A number of resolutions on various issues will also be adopted.