The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) will consider post-Jamali political scenario in its emergency meeting in Lahore on Monday, as the opposition parties are yet to form a bridge on the issue of nominating joint candidate against Shaukat Aziz in August 18 bye elections.
The meeting is considered to be significant in a sense that it would also consider the MMA's offer to back the possible ARD candidate against the prime minister in-waiting, Shaukat Aziz, in by-elections for National Assembly seat from Tharparkar in Sindh, vacated by the Sindh CM brother Arbab Zakaullah, and Attock in Punjab after the PML MNA Iman Wasim resigned.
In this connection, an important meeting of the MMA is also expected to be held in Peshawar for considering the situation. The MMA has soft corner for the PML (N) that had supported Maulana Fazlur Rahman in his race for the slot of leader of house against Jamali in 2002.
The MMA, which has standing offer of talks from the government on situation in South Waziristan Agency, can support the ARD candidate unconditionally, as the religious alliance, unlike the NWFP and Balochistan, has not, by and large, a strong vote base in the two provinces.
Sources told Business Recorder here on Sunday that there were some differences between the PPP-P and the PML (N), the leading parties of anti-Musharraf alliance.
The PML (N), the former ruling party in Punjab, considers the province as its stronghold and has proposed to the PPP-P that its candidate should be allowed to contest by-polls from Attock, while the PPP-P should choose a candidate for Tharparkar.
However, the leaders of both parties have not reached any consensus on the issue despite a high level meeting of ARD chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim and PML (N) chairman Raja Zafarul Haq.
The two leading parties of the ARD have never been able to nominate a joint candidate in any by-polls held so far and the ultimate beneficiary has always been the ruling PML.
The offer of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) can be withdrawn if ARD took a decision to request the speaker National Assembly to nominate the alliance's chairman Amin Fahim as opposition leader to replace Maulana Fazlur Rahman.
The PML (N) wants ARD to ensure nomination of consensus candidate from the joint opposition and the MMA could support the candidate if one seat is given to the PML (N).
The sources said that MMA was strongly opposed to Shaukat Aziz's elevation to the slot of head of the government. "This is a blessing for the ARD. The two alliances can find a common ground easily, provided the ARD put its own house in order," the sources opined.
The MMA deputy secretary general Hafiz Hussain Ahmed has arrived in Lahore ahead of the ARD emergency meeting. The sources in the MMA said that the alliance was closely monitoring the situation and the stance being taken by the PPP-P on the current political situation.
All depends on the PPP-P. The PPP-P and the MMA have strong difference of opinion over Hudood Ordinance, which the former has been eager to get amended or repealed while the MMA considered it as "distortion of Islamic provisions of the Constitution," said the sources.