Frustrated by fast-approaching climax of Musharraf-Benazir reported political affair, the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) on Thursday clearly hinted at parting ways with Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD). The PML-N also announced that it will not attend any of the ARD's meetings till a final decision on whether to remain its component part will be taken early next week. Speaking at a news conference here, PML-N acting president Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan accused the Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) of spoiling the alliance efforts for restoration of what he termed real democracy.
"On the one hand, PPP claims to be a major democratic force and at the other, it is begging a military dictator to help it come into power. It's the attitude tantamount to spoiling the alliance efforts and we regret it," Chaudhry said.
The announcement came within a week after PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari arrived back in the country from Dubai and said being a major power military's role in politics was unavoidable.
"Military is a reality. We must realise it and I will continue talking to establishment to herald a new era of true democracy in the country," Asif told media persons in Lahore on his arrival early this week.
Chaudhry Nisar, heading PML-N in place of jailed Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, said Zardari's assertion was meant to give legal and moral cover to military's permanent role in politics which, he feared, was a dangerous sign for future. Nisar said his party's top brass would meet with its chairman Raja Zafarul Haq in the chair early next week to decide whether to remain part of the ARD or not and until then it would not attend its meetings.