ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari continued on Wednesday his efforts to persuade leaders of political parties to attend the round-table conference he has proposed “to address important national issues” in the words of the presidential spokesman.Towards this end, the president placed a telephone call to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif, inviting him to the conference for which no date has so far been announced.

He also spoke to Awami National Party (ANP) leader Asfandyar Wali, while he met Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of the disgruntled coalition partner, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F (JUI-F), at a lunch in the presidency. The president is reported to have invited him to rejoin the coalition government.

Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said: “As part of the consultative process for an all parties conference President Asif Ali Zardari today telephoned Mian Nawaz Sharif, Shahid Bugti, Dr Abdul Malik and Israrullah Zehri. The president also called Asfandyar Wali and he met Maulana Fazlur Rehman for lunch.”

On Tuesday the president had spoken to several political leaders, seeking support for the round-table conference. They included Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain and party leader Farooq Sattar, Pakistan Muslim League-F head Pir Pagara, Pakistan People’s Party-S chairman Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, and Pakistan Muslim League-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.

Leaders of most parties, except the PML-N, have more or less agreed to attend the conference, expressing their willingness to discuss economic and political issues.

However, PML-N leader Pervez Rashid said that Nawaz Sharif had not yet decided whether or not he would attend the event. “It will be decided by the party in a couple of days,” he said.

When asked if Mr Sharif had been informed about the agenda of the conference, Mr Rashid said the PML-N chief was told by the president that it was being called to address important national issues.

PML-Q leader Kamil Ali Agha said his party was ready to attend the conference to forge consensus on serious problems confronting the country.

However, some reports suggest that the conference is being convened because the government is facing unprecedented pressure over the issue of Raymond Davis, the American citizen and US embassy employee who is alleged to have killed two men in Lahore. It is being suggested that the US pressure for his release will be an important issue at the conference; the government is said to be trying to muster political support on the issue rather than being seen to take a unilateral decision.

All the party leaders Dawn contacted claimed that they would not support any proposal to release Davis. For instance, the JUI-F chief said the issue “should be settled according to the will of people and law of the land”.

MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi was of the view that political parties would not be able to influence the court in the case even if they all agreed to give diplomatic immunity to Davis as demanded by the US government. Others expressed similar views.