Spl ARD meeting to clarify Bhutto's interviews

Lahore, Apr 30: A special meeting of the Alliance for theRestoration of Democracy (ARD) will be called in the next few days toclear 'misunderstandings' created by Benazir Bhutto's recent interviewsto some British newspapers, ARD's chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim said.

The ARD mainly comprises Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and PakistanMuslim League (PML-N) of former exiled Prime Ministers Benazir Bhuttoand Nawaz Sharif respectively.

''The PML-N has expressed serious reservations about Ms Bhutto'swillingness to work with President General Pervez Musharraf under'certain conditions', Dawn newspaper quoted a senior leader as sayingin Lahore.

He said a heart-to-heart talk is now necessary to find out what the PPP leadership is really up to.

''Maybe we have to part ways. Maybe new alliances need to beforged. We can't keep quite after going through what the PPPchairperson has said in her interviews,'' he said.

PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, he said, had instructed party'ssecretary-general Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, who is also the secretary-generalof the ARD, to call a meeting of the alliance at the earliest.

ARD chairman Mr Fahim, however, said various parties were 'interpreting' the PPP chairperson's interviews 'in their own ways'.

If elections were held and the PPP emerged as the single largestparty, it would have the right to form government. And if it was in aposition to strike down the relevant law that barred a former primeminister from assuming the post a third time, it would remove therestriction and make Ms Bhutto the prime minister, he said.

And if at that time, Gen Musharraf was still in power after beingelected by the current assemblies, the PPP would not like to 'stay outof power', Mr Fahim said. But, he made it clear that the PPP would notvote for Gen Musharraf.

When it was pointed out that like other opposition parties, thePPP had vowed to resign en bloc from the assemblies to thwart GenMusharraf's bid to get re-elected, Mr Fahim said his party would followthe Constitution.

''If the people vote for the PPP, will it be fair for us to saythat we will not form our government?'' he said against the backdrop ofreports that the PPP has decided to strike a power-sharing deal withMusharraf.

He said it was quite possible that Gen Musharraf would not be on the political scene at the time of the next elections.

UNI