Pakistan People's Party has distanced itself from all calls of protests and demonstrations which Muttaheda Majlis-i-Amal has so far given to begin its campaign against President General Pervez Musharraf's government.
PPP sources said on Wednesday that the MMA was desperate after losing its official support and was trying to regain its acceptability among the masses. It has also lost its utility for Pakistan's intelligence agencies whom it has been obliging on crucial issues.
They said that the government had used MMA in different situations. "It is 'B' team of the ruling military elite and would continue to remain so." In the opinion of PPP leaders, alignment with MMA would not serve any democratic purpose and, on the contrary, would harm the people's interest.
They said that big cities such as Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur, where people were groaning under rising prices of daily use articles, shortage of potable water and acute shortage of power supply, MMA did not raise its voice to protest against these evils.
PPP leaders say that MMA has not taken up public issues seriously and is indulging in politics that is aimed at grabbing power. They said that the MRD meeting scheduled in London would discuss the MMA proposal of launching protest jointly, but the idea is likely to get lukewarm support.
They said that Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim was in close contact with MMA. Referring to the indecent incident in which a minority community treasury MPA was involved, they said that MMA did not come along with PPP to condemn the act.
"Their inattention to 'our' call for condemnation fell on deaf ears."
They said that the PPP was not a party of political slogan-mongers and would not like to disturb the civic life for nothing. "Let the elections be there, and we would face the challenge and show who command people's confidence."
They said that PPP was busy in streamlining the party affairs and elections at different tiers would be finalised before the next general elections.
They said that PPP was an open-minded political party and did not rule out election alignments and political adjustments. "All politics are situational," they said.