Bhutto not striking deal with Mush

Islamabad: Former Pakistan prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif are meeting on Thursday to discuss steps to restore democracy in their country.

There were reports that Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) was in the process of talking with the Musharraf government to strike a deal.

PPP leader, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, met Nawaz Sharif recently to assure him that the reports were false and meant to divide the PPP and Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (PML).

The Dawn newspaper quoted Fahim as telling Sharif that the disinformation was being spread by the regime to drive a wedge between the two major opposition parties and break the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD).

''Nawaz Sharif is 100 per cent satisfied with what Fahim said at the meeting,'' PML-N Secretary-General Iqbal Zafar Jhagra said.

Fahim said the PPP and the PML-N would continue to work together for the ideals set in the charter of democracy.

The objective was to finalise agenda for a Sharif-Benazir meeting to be held on Thursday. They also discussed political situation in the country.

Wednesday's meeting was important as Bhutto had admitted in a recent interview that back-channel contacts between the PPP and the government were going on although there were ''stubborn differences'' between the two sides, said the paper.

''We trust each other and will continue to work together. The government will not be able to split us despite all efforts,'' Fahim said.

However, he said, both sides agreed to step up struggle for democracy after Eid.

Although the PML-N wants the opposition legislators to quit assemblies to pull down the government, Fahim said this issue was not discussed at the meeting. He reiterated that the option of resignations would be exercised at an appropriate time.

Jhagra quoted Sharif as telling Fahim that he never believed that the PPP was holding talks with rulers.

"Fahim informed the meeting that the PPP had nothing to discuss with the military dictatorship," said Jhagra.

The PML-N chief was of the firm view that the ARD would not be divided despite the government's disinformation campaign.

According to Fahim, it was for both the former Prime Ministers to decide who should assist them in the talks on Thursday.

(With inputs from UNI)