ISLAMABAD, Feb 10: The People’s Party Parliamentarians and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz have decided to revive a four-member committee — which had drafted the Charter of Democracy last year — to formulate a joint declaration for the multi-party conference in London proposed by PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif.

Sources in the two parties told Dawn that the decision to revive the committee was taken by Mr Sharif and PPP president Makhdoom Amin Fahim at their meeting held in Dubai last week to discuss Benazir Bhutto’s participation in the MPC.

The first meeting of the committee will be held on Feb 13. Opposition Leader in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani and Senator Dr Safdar Abbassi had represented the PPP and Senator Ishaq Dar and Ahsan Iqbal had represented the PML-N in the committee that had formulated the Charter of Democracy signed by Ms Bhutto and Mr Sharif in May and then by heads of all component parties of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy in July last.

Mr Sharif wants to hold an MPC in London to formulate a joint strategy by opposition parties regarding the coming general election. However, PPP leaders expressed their displeasure over what they termed a unilateral move and called for convening the MPC from the ARD platform.

PPP chairperson Ms Bhutto is reluctant to attend the MPC due to participation of religious parties in it.

The PPP, the sources said, also believed that the MPC was being convened before time and it should be held once the government come out with its plan of Gen Pervez Musharraf’s re-election as president.

The PML-N had initially wanted to hold the MPC in the third week of February, but after receiving a cold shoulder from its main alliance partner the PPP, it decided to delay the conference to remove PPP’s concerns and to ensure Ms Bhutto’s participation.

However, even after four rounds of talks between leaders of the two parties in Islamabad and a meeting between Mr Sharif and Mr Fahim in Dubai, the PPP leaders are not ready to give any commitment regarding Ms Bhutto’s participation.

Talking to Dawn, PML-N information secretary Ahsan Iqbal confirmed the revival of the four-member committee and said the first meeting would be held at the Parliament House chamber of Senator Rabbani on Tuesday morning.

He said the PML-N had started consultations with all those parties which had confirmed their participation in the MPC to develop a consensus on its declaration.

“As part of this exercise, it was decided between the PML-N and the PPP that the same old team which had drafted the CoD would work for developing a consensus,” he said.

When asked about reports that the PPP wanted to exclude the issue of the boycott of the next election under Gen Musharraf, Mr Iqbal said all options were open for the opposition parties, but any decision regarding boycott of the polls would be taken close to the election.

He said the basic purpose of the MPC was to formulate a charter of demands for holding free and fair elections.