Pak political alliance, ARD may break up: Report

By Staff
|
Google Oneindia News

Islamabad, July 25: Rifts have surfaced in the Alliance for theRestoration of Democracy (ARD) due to the growing distrust between itsmain component parties - Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) andPakistan People's Party (PPP), in the wake of the recently-concludedmulti-party conference (MPC) in London.

The information secretaries of the two parties yesterday issuedseparate statements accusing each other of going the wrong way andviolating the Charter of Democracy (CoD), signed by the ARD componentparties last year, Dawn newspaper reported.

The differences between the two parties emerged when the PPPrefused to join the newly-formed All Parties Democratic Movement(APDM)during the MPC held in London two weeks ago, saying that theformation of a grand opposition alliance was not included in the MPCagenda. The PPP also refused to join the APDM due to the presence ofthe Muttahida Majlis-i Amal (MMA) in it.

PPP information secretary Sherry Rehman in her statement yesterdaysaid the PPP had taken a clear initiative in signing the CoD as well asformulating the ARD when its component parties, including the PML-N,needed support.

She said instead of planting discord in the ARD, democracy wouldbe better served if the PML-N stuck to the CoD's aim of riddingpolitics of military interference.

Ms Rehman said it was the PML-N which had created a new alliancewithout consulting or obtaining consent from its partner in the ARD.

She said ARD Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim would call a meeting ofthe alliance under no terms from anyone, as most component partiesstill seek to adhere to the terms of the CoD.

PML-N information secretary Ahsan Iqbal, on the other hand, saidthe PPP senior leadership by repeatedly admitting parleys with theMusharraf regime was ''sabotaging the democratic struggle of politicalworkers and lawyers.'' ''Under this situation, if the ARD meeting isconvened, it will create more tension within component parties,'' heobserved.

He also said the ARD meeting could only take place when allcomponent parties gave an assurance to strictly adhere to the CoD andARD's code, which very clearly stopped all parties from having parleysand soliciting support from the military regime for coming into thegovernment.

Mr Iqbal was of the view that the political action had now shiftedto the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) platform, which was agrand alliance of all those democratic parties which wanted to replaceGen Musharraf with a genuine democratic order.

All parties that seek true democracy whether secular, religious,national or regional have joined hands for establishing rule of law,restoration of genuine democracy, and holding free and fair electionsin the country, he said, adding the APDM was a dividing line betweenpro and anti-Musharraf forces. He said the parties which wanted to ridetwo boats at the same time stood exposed.

Denying charges of the PML-N, Ms Rehman said the PPP had never cutany underhand deal with the military nor had its leadership everavailed of an opportunity to flee jail. ''Its dialogue with the regimehas been focused on steps for the restoration of democracy throughconstitutional means via a free and fair election,'' she added.


UNI

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