Deadlock hits PPP, APDM charter talks
Staff Report/Agencies

ISLAMABAD—APDM summit meeting has been convened on December 9 in Lahore under PML-N chief and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to take final decision on participation or boycott of upcoming elections. Ongoing political crisis, emergency, PCO and siege of houses of deposed judges will also come under discussion in the meeting.
Leadership of nationalist parties of Balochistan and PONM met here Friday at the residence of MMA president Qazi Hussain Ahmad. Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Abdul Hye Baloch, Qadir Magsi and Amir Hasil Bazenjo attended the meeting.
Sources told Online the meeting agreed on decision that Benazir Bhutto and Maulana Fazlur Rehman would be persuaded to boycott the election. In case PPP and Maulana Fazlur Rehman don’t boycott the elections then APDM should also take part and PML-N, Tehreek-e-Insaf, Jamaat-e-Islami and nationalist parties would participate in the elections.
The participants slammed Benazir Bhutto and Maulana Fazlur Rehman for the intransigence shown by them.
Talking to journalists after the meeting, Abdul Hye Baloch told the meeting was informal which discussed the charter of demand. APDM had promised to the nation that it would boycott the elections and “ we still stand by it, he added. House arrests of judges is an unconstitutional step, he held. He alleged rulers had chalked out a plan to hijack the elections. Final decision would be taken to participate in the election on APDM platform, he indicated.
Talking to a private TV channel, Qazi Hussain Ahmad said APDM meeting had been convened on December, 9 at the residence of Mian Nawaz Sharif in model town Lahore to give final shape to charter of demand. MMA Majlis-e-Shoora had decided to boycott the elections. Five component parties of MMA are agreed on boycotting the elections, he told.
The eight-member committee of Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) and All Parties Democratic Alliance have failed to reach any consensus on charter of demands to be presented to the government for holding fair and free elections. This was stated by former Chief Minister Punjab Ch.Shahbaz Sharif and central PML leader Ch.Nisar Ali Khan while briefing the newsmen after the central parliamentary board meeting of PML (N) at Model Town here Friday evening.
They said that the eight member committee of both thealliance could not make any final decision on the issue of judges as APDM members wanted to include the demands for the reinstatement of the sacked judges while ARD wanted inclusion of demand regarding independence of judiciary. The other point on which consensus could not be reached is regarding timeframe to be given to the government for acceptance or rejection of the charter of demand.
“A meeting PML (N) Chief Mian Nawaz Sharif and PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto is expected within two or three days to make final decision in this regard,” they added. They alleged that the returning officers rejected thenomination papers of Mian Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif on the behest of outgoing chief minister Punjab Pervaiz Elahi.