LAHORE, Dec 24: The knot which tied the PML-N and the PPP together in the ARD for the past six years appeared loosening on Sunday as a PML-N MNA hinted at the possibility of a new ‘united front’ of like-minded opposition parties and another legislator from the same party questioned the PPP’s plans to ‘conquer’ Lahore, which he called a stronghold of Nawaz Sharif, in the coming elections.

Saad Rafiq and Pervaiz Malik delivered the ‘message’ at a party meeting and the press talk on their return from two-week consultative talks with their exiled leader in London.

“We’ll set up a united front at all costs. We’ll welcome any party willing to join it. The plan will go ahead even if some party opts to stay away,” Saad said at the residence of Mian Mujtaba Shuja.

In an attempt to dispel the impression that the PML-N could part company with the PPP, he said “we’ll not sever ties with other parties”.

Saad said the PML-N wanted fresh elections before the middle of the next year, with no role for Gen Pervez Musharraf. To achieve the target, he said, the opposition parties would have to launch a movement, a proposition the PPP was opposed to for the time being.

“In case we take part in the polls without launching a potent movement first, the government will be the major beneficiary (of the exercise)”.

Saad said Nawaz Sharif wanted that after the success of a movement against Gen Musharraf, all opposition parties should contest the elections together and form a national government for a term of 12 to 18 months. During this period, all efforts should be made to put the country back on the track. Thereafter, fresh polls should be held and each party should contest on the basis of its own manifesto, said the PML-N leader.

About the opposition legislators’ resignations from the National Assembly, Saad said his party wanted all opposition parties to take a collective decision. The murder of Baloch leader Akbar Bugti had provided the opposition parties with a strong justification to quit the assemblies, but since the opportunity had been lost, the opposition parties should now review the situation and take an appropriate decision, he said.

Replying to a question, Saad said the PML-N wanted to hold an all-party conference in London which should take ‘irrevocable decisions’ about the future. In case some party or parties were not in favour of participation, the PML-N had the option of calling a round-table conference of like-minded parties.

Asked whether the PML-N had taken a final decision on participating in or abstaining from the elections held in the presence of President Musharraf, Saad answered in the negative.

MNA Pervaiz Malik said while media reports gave an impression of a PPP-government deal, the PML-N would abide by the Charter of Democracy signed in July this year.

Referring to the repeated claims being made by the Punjab PPP leadership that they would ‘conquer’ Lahore in the next elections, Malik said the city remained a stronghold of Mr Sharif and his party would not allow anyone to harbour designs to capture it.

He said the PPP had the illusion that it would ‘take over’ the metropolis in the polls, but the PML-N would remove this baseless impression in the electoral bout.

Lahore PML-N President Mian Marghoob Ahmad presided over the meeting, held to celebrate the 57th birthday of Mr Sharif.

Ms Tehmina Daultana, Khwaja Aamer Raza, Dr Asif Saeed Kirmani and Naseer Bhutta also addressed.

Almost all of them said Mr Sharif would return Pakistan before the next elections. They criticised Gen Musharraf for his policies, and said the battle for democracy would be fought both in and outside parliament.