The upcoming Benazir Bhutto-Nawaz Sharif rendezvous on October 19 is expected to help the opposition parties to adopt a future course of action, besides allaying mutual apprehensions. Both the leaders, will take each other into confidence in the wake of a 'media hype' triggered by recent reports of the government-PPPP talks on a possible deal.
PML-N leader Sharif will host an Iftar-dinner in honour of Bhutto in London and their meeting will be assisted by their close aides including Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Shahbaz Sharif and Zafar Iqbal Jhagra. This will be the second meeting between the two after they signed the charter of democracy in July.
Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) sources told Business Recorder that the agenda of talks was being finalised, which would surely include the option of en masse resignations, formation of the grand alliance, the timing of a possible countrywide anti-Musharraf move and removal of some misconceptions.
For apparently unspecified reasons, Bhutto was not convinced on the proposal of en bloc resignations from the assemblies and joining a bandwagon of opposition parties of all possible political shades, particularly the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal. Needless to say, the idea of the opposition's grand alliance was most likely to remain airborne.
PPPP sources believed that their leader felt more comfortable with PML and other like-minded groups in ARD, whereas being part of a new alliance, to which MMA would also be a component, could undermine its reputation as a secular and progressive political force, and this could also alarm the United States.
"PPPP leader wants the alliance of religious parties to quit Balochistan government and publicly apologise to the nation on supporting the LFO-based 17th constitutional amendment before entering into an alliance with it," sources maintained.
On his part, Sharif was likely to ask Bhutto to categorically close the door on future attempts of parleys by the confidants of General Musharraf. "PML leadership feels agitated over reports of contacts between the two sides," the party Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq said.
He, however, was quick to add that PPPP would desist from committing what he billed as its political suicide by looking at its political future through the 'eyes of General Musharraf'.
A senior PPPP leader, who was privy to informal contacts between President Pervez Musharraf and Bhutto's aides revealed that his party was again confronted with the Hobson's choice, ie accept Musharraf as president in uniform and name any other leader who could be considered for premier after the general election, but in return no major concessions.
However, terming the two demands as bizarre, PPPP leader rejected these. He added that Bhutto had a commitment to the party to lead it in the elections come what may. He believed that it was General Musharraf who needed PPPP's support in the emerging scene on political chessboard.
PPPP leader said that again she was asked to adopt the posture of Sonya Gandhi, meaning thereby, appoint some other party leader to vie for the prime ministerial slot. Even, she was asked to say goodbye to politics once for all, something next to impossible for Bhutto to concede to.
He defended the party's decision to respond positively to the offer of parleys, arguing it was against the norms and decent traditions to ignore someone who wants to discuss matters. However, he said the party was firm on sticking to its demands of elections minus Musharraf and the return of unfettered democracy.
About President Musharraf's not clarifying his position on the status of talks with PPPP during his Wednesday's interaction with media persons, he said that by doing so, General Musharraf wanted the air of confusion to persist, as it best suited him. But he added, this will fizzle out in thin air after the Nawaz-Benazir meeting.
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