ISLAMABAD, March 13: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairperson Benazir Bhutto has summoned Makhdoom Amin Fahim to Dubai to discuss recent defections of party MPs and to chalk out a plan to deal with the possible move of the government to file another reference against her , sources told Dawn here on Saturday.

The sources said Mr Fahim had been called by Ms Bhutto after she received reports that the regime was planning to file a reference against her in a case of purchase of helicopters in 1994.

They said the party chairperson was very upset over the recent defections of party MPs from Rahimyar Khan and Bahawalpur and wanted to take steps to stop such defections in future.

They said the party leaders were fearing more defections as the government had started putting more pressure on the PPP members after having succeeded in 'enticing' away one MNA and three MPAs.

Earlier, in a statement here on Saturday, Mr Fahim said Ms Bhutto could not be intimidated through threats of filing "fabricated" references against her.

He said the PPP was expecting the regime to hit back following Ms Bhutto's television interviews exposing the nuclear technology export 'drama' in which the scientists were made the scapegoat. "Ms Bhutto views the latest threat of reference as yet another bid to silence her by a regime that refuses to respect the right of dissent," he added.

The PPP president went on to say that after Ms Bhutto exposed the charade of the regime in making the nuclear scientists scapegoats to save the real proliferators, who had set up a 'Juma bazar' of nuclear technology spread across three continents, the government was determined to extract revenge.

"This it did through the murder of MPA Abdullah Murad, whose killers are elements within the regime, the defection of PPP parliamentarians and now the threats of fresh references in a fabricated helicopter case," he said.

Mr Fahim alleged that the beneficiaries in the helicopter case were the relatives of former president Farooq Leghari and a criminal case had also been filed against them.

He alleged that Mr Leghari's brother-in-law, the late Malik Allah Yar, and his another close relative were the 'main culprits' in the case and a police report was also filed against them.

"It is illegal to file a second FIR five to seven years after the initial inquiry and registration of police case. If any additional name has to be added, that name is of Mr Leghari whose family members were the financial beneficiaries of the fraud," he said.

When contacted, Mr Fahim confirmed that he was leaving for Dubai and would be back in a day or two. He, however, said his visit was of private nature as he was going to meet his son.

Replying to a question, he said definitely he would have a meeting with Ms Bhutto there.