The PPP won’t be part of any alliance that includes the mullahs in it, but is still adamant in talking to the Generals. Nawaz Sharif’s people are openly castigating these stances.
http://www.dawn.com/2007/07/25/top3.htm
War of words imperils ARD
By Amir Wasim
ISLAMABAD, July 24:
The existence of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) is in jeopardy due to the growing distrust between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the two major components of the alliance, in the wake of the recently-concluded multi-party conference (MPC) in London. The information secretaries of the two parties on Tuesday issued separate statements accusing each other of going the wrong way and violating the Charter of Democracy (CoD), signed by the ARD component parties last year. The differences between the two parties surfaced when during the MPC held in London two weeks ago, the PPP refused to join the newly-formed All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM), saying that the formation of a grand opposition alliance was not included in the MPC agenda. **The PPP also refused to join the APDM due to the presence of the Muttahida Majlis-i Amal (MMA) in it. ** PPP information secretary Sherry Rehman in her statement on Tuesday said the PPP had taken a clear initiative in signing the CoD as well as formulating the ARD when its component parties, including the PML-N, needed support. She said instead of planting discord in the ARD, democracy would be better served if the PML-N stuck to the CoD’s aim of ridding politics of military interference Ms Rehman said it was the PML-N which had created a new alliance without consulting or obtaining consent from its partner in the ARD. She said ARD Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim would call a meeting of the alliance under no terms from anyone, as most component parties still seek to adhere to the terms of the CoD.
PML-N information secretary Ahsan Iqbal, on the other hand, said the PPP senior leadership by repeatedly admitting parleys with the Musharraf regime was “sabotaging the democratic struggle of political workers and lawyers.” “Under this situation, if the ARD meeting is convened, it will create more tension within component parties,” he observed. He said the ARD meeting could only take place when all component parties gave an assurance to strictly adhere to the CoD and ARD’s code, which very clearly stopped all parties from having parleys and soliciting support from the military regime for coming into the government. Mr Iqbal was of the view that the political action had now shifted to the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) platform, which was a grand alliance of all those democratic parties which wanted to replace Gen Musharraf with a genuine democratic order. All parties that seek true democracy whether secular, religious, national, or regional have joined hands for establishing rule of law, restoration of genuine democracy, and holding free and fair elections in the country, he said, adding the APDM was a dividing line between pro and anti-Musharraf forces. He said the parties which wanted to ride two boats at the same time stood exposed. Mr Iqbal said the workers and local leadership of the PPP had struggled with opposition parties in the judicial crisis but the statements of its senior leadership were even embarrassing for them. Mr Iqbal said the PML-N had maintained a clear stand since the military takeover on October 12, 1999 that there could be no deal with Gen Musharraf because he had subverted the Constitution. He said all offers of deal by Gen Musharraf were turned down by the PML-N and Nawaz Sharif had urged Benazir Bhutto in their first meeting in Jeddah that if the two parties stood firm in their stand for not negotiating with Gen Musharraf, his regime would fall within months. Unfortunately, he said, Gen Musharraf succeeded in engaging one party in negotiations. He said it was their belief that Gen Musharraf would never give democracy a chance and he wanted to consolidate his power by using political parties. Therefore, he said, all political parties must join hands for the restoration of democracy and the PPP should also join the APDM instead of signalling Gen Musharraf that time was running out for a deal.
Denying charges of the PML-N, Ms Rehman said the PPP had never cut any underhand deal with the military nor had its leadership ever availed of an opportunity to flee jail. “Its dialogue with the regime has been focused on steps for the restoration of democracy through constitutional means via a free and fair election,” she added.