ARD To Boycott All-Party Meet

In a major setback to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, the 19-party Alliance forRestoration of Democracy (ARD), including PPP and PML (N), today decided to boycott an all-party meeting convened byhim tomorrow to discuss his forthcoming visit to India. 

The decision was taken at a three-hour long meeting of ARD Coordination Committee in Lahore. Barring Awami National Party (ANP), all other constituents agreed to disregard Musharraf's invitation for aluncheon meeting tomorrow to discuss the issues to be taken up during his summit meeting with Prime Minister AtalBihari Vajpayee at Agra, ARD chief Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan said.

ARD, however, made it clear that its decision to boycott the meeting has nothing against Musharraf going toIndia for the summit but was to protest his "unconstitutional and undemocratic" decision to take over thePresidency. The Alliance said it favoured resolution of all contentious issues, including the Kashmir problem,with India through negotiations.

Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of former Premier Benazir  Bhutto and Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) ofdeposed Premier Nawaz Sharif, the two major constituents of the Alliance, had already announced theirdecision not to attend the meeting convened by Musharraf. 

There are indications that other parties including Muttahid Quami Movement (MQM), Jamaat-e-Islami andcricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf will attend the meeting for which 24leaders in all are invited. 

The Central Executive Committee of the PPP, which met here last evening, decided to stay away from themeeting to protest against four major issues including Government's failure to announce the date for electionsand Musharraf's taking over as president. PPP's Deputy General Secretary Raza Rabbani said"Musharraf's regime lacked constitutional and popular mandate to settle vital national issues, therefore it is meaninglessfor the party to attend the meeting convened by him."

The Party has been advocating a dialogue between India and Pakistan to resolve all outstanding issues,including Kashmir. But the dialogue should be held by elected representatives than coup leaders, he said,adding the party has referred the decision (of boycotting the meeting) for approval ofBhutto.

MQM Appeal

Meanwhile, Pakistan's third largest Party, the Muthahaida Quami Movement (MQM), today urged the toppolitical parties of the country to attend the all party meeting convened by President General Pervez Musharraftomorrow and inform him that only the elected government would have a legal mandate to hold talks withIndian leaders.

The political parties, including the umbrella group Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD), should attendthe meeting and prevail upon Musahrraf that any discussion on Kashmir with Indian leaders would be fruitfulonly if they  were held by elected government, MQM leader Altaf Hussain said in a statement issued fromLondon.

"The elected government will have the constitutional and legal right to talk to Prime Minister Atal BihariVajpayee over the differences, including Kashmir issue, between the two countries with consensus and will ofthe people of Pakistan," he said.

Hussain said the decision by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League (PML) to boycott themeeting with Musharraf was not a solution to any issue. But it was in the larger interest of the country to askMusharraf to hold the elections first, he added.