PPP to meet in London on October 3

Islamabad, Sep 24: The Pakistan People's party will hold a meeting in London on October 3 to finalise the party strategy on presidential polls and its chief Benazir Bhutto's return to the country.

Ms Bhutto had announced that she would end her exile on October 18.

It will be a joint meeting of the Central Executive Committee and the Federal Council of the party, The Nation reported.

The presidential polls are scheduled for October 6. The timing of the meeting signifies that the party leadership would be in London at the time of elections and was expected to return after the polls.

Infact, it was part of the deal the party had with the government.

The party was adopting a wait and watch approach to the presidential election, the paper reported quoting party sources.

They said the PPP was waiting for the Supreme Court verdict on Gen Musharraf's two offices for devising its future strategy.

Top leadership of the party would meet in Pakistan after the verdict, they added. The party had already made it clear that the option of resigning from the assemblies was open, if the President seeks re-election without doffing his uniform, or it may abstain during polling.

However, Gen Musharraf's in his undertaking before the Supreme Court made it clear that he would contest the election in uniform.

UNI