LAHORE, May 24: The Pakistan People’s Party said on Friday if the military regime was interested in forging national unity and prepare the nation to face the situation on the eastern borders it should hold talks with Ms Benazir Bhutto and Mr Nawaz Sharif.

Acting secretary-general Raza Rabbani told newsmen at the office of provincial information secretary Naveed Chaudhry that national unity would not be possible as long as the government ignored the heads of the two major parties.

The PPP leader said technically speaking his party had not been extended an invitation for the consultative meeting organized by Gen Musharraf. He said since Ms Bhutto was the chairperson, and nobody else had so far been nominated to act as party chief in her absence, invitation for the meeting should have been extended to Ms Bhutto.

Asked whether the PPP would change its boycott decision in case the government invited it afresh, Mr Rabbani said his party would go by the ARD decision on the subject.

He said his party was as patriotic as people in uniform. Therefore, the PPP did not need a certificate from anybody. The PPP would prefer to stand on the side of the people instead of the regime, he added.

He underlined the need for the restoration of democratic rule in the country as political governments were in a better position to deal with the situations like the one on borders with India. During military rule the situation had always been tense while the democratic governments always helped improve the situation.

He pointed out that the Simla agreement was signed by a civilian leader and the no-first strike on nuclear installations agreement was also reached during a democratic rule.

Similarly, he said, the Lahore peace process was also initiated when an elected government was in power.

Mr Rabbani said the London meeting of the PPP, scheduled to be held in the first week of June, would discuss at length the party’s strategy about the forthcoming elections.

He did not give importance to published reports that the government was thinking of holding the elections before October. He said so far no preparations had been made and thus it could not be expected that the elections would be held before time.

About the latest sentence awarded to Ms Bhutto, the PPP leader said it did not fall in the definition of disqualification as mentioned in articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution. This, he said, meant that for the time being there was no bar on Ms Bhutto to take part in the general elections.

He dismissed reports that Ms Naheed Khan would contest from Ms Bhutto’s constituency in case the latter was disqualified. No such proposal was under consideration at any level, he concluded.