Mansoor Ahmed Khan, Vice President of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD), said here on Monday, that "we have started formal contacts with the MMA and other opposition parties to take them into confidence" with regard to the recently signed 'Charter of Democracy' (COD) between Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.
Talking to newsmen he said that all the component parties of ARD would sign the COD on July 2. He said that in this regard, ARD Secretary General Iqbal Zafar Jhagra had formally contacted MMA president Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Secretary General Fazlur Rehman and other opposition leaders.
He said he anticipated that the contacts with all political parties would be completed soon and an all parties conference would be summoned hereafter. He said that Jhagra had met Qazi and Fazl on Sunday. Mansoor said that the rulers were highly terrified with the COD, and they were making state-owned media to spread rumours against opposition parties so that they should not be united.
He informed the journalists regarding the 'charter' and said that all the parties would be thoroughly briefed concerning the 'charter' and a copy of the COD would be provided to all national and regional parties, including Ponam.
He said that ARD Chairman Amin Fahim was contacting opposition leaders. He said that during the ARD meeting on July 2, talks on the 'Charter of Democracy' would move forward, and stressed that if any political party would have any kind of reservation, it would be immediately removed.
He said that people were taking less interest in national budget because all the levies, price hike of essential commodities, rates of electricity, gas and other utility have already gone high sky.