The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), a major component of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD), conceded on Tuesday that the alliance was “dysfunctional” but blamed this on the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairperson Benazir Bhutto’s closed door meeting with President General Pervez Musharraf. “By holding a covert meeting with General Musharraf, Ms Bhutto violated the Charter of Democracy (CoD) and made the ARD practically dysfunctional,” said the central information secretary of the PML-N, Ahsan Iqbal, at a press conference at the Karachi Press Club. Expressing regret over reports concerning the recent meeting, Mr Iqbal recalled that during the Multi-Party Conference held in London, the PPP and other opposition parties had adopted a unanimous declaration holding General Musharraf responsible for all the crises besetting Pakistan and demanding that he quit office immediately, since transparent elections under his supervision were not considered possible. “We do not know what compels Ms Bhutto to accept General Musharraf as president,” commented Mr Iqbal. Clarifying his party’s position with regard to the formation of the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) in the presence of the ARD, Mr Iqbal said that the APDM comprises all democratic forces, including secular, religious and nationalist parties. “It is not true to say that the PPP did not join the APDM because of the presence of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA),” he said. “It was up to Ms Bhutto, whether she wanted to sit with the opposition or preferred General Musharraf. We are grieved that Ms Bhutto chose the latter.”
However, Mr Iqbal was unable to provide a satisfactory answer when asked which clause of the CoD permits any of the signatory parties, particularly the PML-N, to forge an alliance with the MMA while being aware of its role in the passage of 17th Amendment and that the party is currently ruling two provinces. “The MMA did not sign the charter of democracy,” replied the PML-N representative. Maintaining that the meeting between General Musharraf and Ms Bhutto has not affected the significance of the CoD, Mr Iqbal remarked that “the people of the country will hold the party [that violated the CoD] accountable in next elections.” He added that the ARD meeting can only be convened when all the constituent parties agree to abide by the CoD in letter and spirit, otherwise the alliance will remain dysfunctional. The PML-N leader said that the APDM will launch a decisive struggle to end the era of General Musharraf. In reply to a question, Mr Iqbal said that his party’s leader Mian Nawaz Sharif would return to Pakistan before the general elections.
Nawaz is truly slow if he just figured out ARD is dysfunctional, on this very forum many of us noted that it is dysfunctional while it was just a twinkle in nawz's eyes.
It will take him time, by which time he will have to come to realise that even Maulana Fazlur Rehman has also stabbed him in the back, and come out in support of Musharraf’s re-election.
I doubt even that dumbo Nawaz Sharif can name the 38 parties that make up this APDM. Yesterday he was on tv saying the ARD (his alliance with BB) was over and APDM was what mattered now. The main achievment of the defunct ARD was tha “Mesak-e-Jamhooriat” i.e. Charter of Democracy, which one presumes is now in the trash can? In the meantime a main component of his APDM - the JUI of Fazlur Rehman is busy in secret negotiatons with the government for a deal as well.
khuda kay wastay bhai... kaheen say get me the list if 38 parties. I saw the list of 80+ parties back in previous elections, luckily many's papers were rejected but that list was a source of great laughter for me.
I need to laugh, please give me this list :)
I can't for the life of me find the list of 38 parties that make up this APUDM, so I will be dropping Nawaz Sharif an e-mail myself. :)
I have spoken to a guy called ‘Pervaiz’ at PML Nawaz HQ in London, who has promised to e-mail me the whole list of APUDM parties. But I don’t expect anything soon, as they are probably busy dealing with calls about the exile deal which was presented to the Supreme Court by the govt side earlier today. Nawaz said there was never such a deal, but Shahbaz is now saying that he never said he did not sign any deal!
Dear oh dear confusion and humiliation in the Sharif household today.
I have just tried the PML Nawaz office number again and as expected it is busy. :)
Fraudia ji, I surely will ask Nawaz about his new hairpiece, but I believe (when previously asked) he has denied he had any work done on his scalp! That's just like he has been saying he never signed an exile deal - which has now been proven to be a bare faced lie for all to see. Itna jhoota insaan kabhi nahin dekha!
The All Pakistan Democratic Movement (APDM) will disintegrate in a fortnight when Muttahida Majlis-I-Amal (MMA) will announce support for Gen Pervez Musharraf in the presidential elections, PPPP General Secretary Jehangir Badr claimed here on Monday. Talking to reporters after attending the funeral of a local party leader’s son, Badr said the Charter of Democracy signed between the PML-N and PPP and Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) were still intact. However, he alleged the MMA was not sincere with the APDM or the ARD as it was a part of the government. He said the PPP’s leadership was still on the ARD platform and the PML-N’s would return to the alliance soon. He said Benazir Bhutto was negotiating with the government and Gen Musharraf for the restoration of democracy and this process could be termed a dialogue not a ‘deal’. He said party workers had full confidence in Bhutto’s leadership and she would return to Pakistan soon as the party’s high command had given a green signal in this connection.
