LAHORE, March 10: Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and PML-N president Mian Shahbaz Sharif met at the Dubai residence of the PPP chairperson on Friday and exchanged views on the political situation in the country and steps needed for restoration of democracy. They called for free and fair elections under the supervision of an independent election commission.

“The meeting has been very useful. We demanded free and fair elections in which leaders of the mainstream parties should be allowed to participate,” the former Punjab chief minister told Dawn after the meeting.

Senator Ishaq Dar of the PML(N) and PPP leaders Qasim Zia and Nisar Khuhro also attended the meeting.

A few weeks ago, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had gone to the UAE to offer condolences over the death of the Dubai ruler, but a meeting between the two rivals-turned-allies could not take place because Ms Bhutto was preparing to go to the United States.

Now the two former prime ministers would be meeting when the PPP leader visited London. However, no date has been set. According to Mian Shahabz Sharif, he and the PPP chairperson were of the view that US President George Bush had showered numerous favours on India, giving nothing to Pakistan. This, he said, had brought tremendous embarrassment to Pakistan. Answering a question, the PML-N president said his meeting with the PPP chairperson had established once again that the two parties were united in the struggle for restoration of democracy.

He said both sides reiterated that they would not repeat mistakes of the past and would not get involved in conspiracies whenever either of them got an opportunity to rule.

Mian Shahbaz said the ARD and the MMA had identical views on restoration of democracy. However, he said, all parties were free to have their views on other issues.

The PPP issued a brief press release about the meeting. It said the PPP chairperson had invited Mian Shahbaz Sharif to tea.

Amir Wasim adds from Islamabad: PML-N’s information secretary Siddique Farooq told Dawn that Ms Bhutto and Mian Shahbaz had agreed in principle to convene a meeting of the ARD in London to work out a joint plan of action.

Mr Farooque said Ms Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif would hold talks in London before the formal ARD meeting.

He said that during their talks in Dubai, the PPP chief and Mr Shahbaz Sharif termed the present regime a “national security risk” and reiterated their commitment to continue the struggle for supremacy of parliament and restoration of the Constitution to the position of October 12, 1999. They called for formation of a caretaker government to hold free and fair elections under an independent and powerful election commission.

It may be mentioned that Mian Nawaz Sharif has convened a meeting of his party’s Central Working Committee in London on March 24 and 25.

A source in the PPP told Dawn that Ms Bhutto had asked the party’s secretary general, Raja Pervez Ashraf, and MNA Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan to meet her in Dubai by March 21.