Leader of the opposition in the Lower House of Parliament Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan says President Asif Ali Zardari-Nawaz Sharif dinner meeting on Oct 26 should not be a political showpiece, signifying nothing. “We feel there is a myriad of grave problems facing Pakistan, and if the two senior leaders meet, some important decisions should be forthcoming not only for the people but also for the country,” he told this correspondent. Khan said that there was a general feeling that President Zardari has been stonewalling on a number of contentious issues confronting the nation. He expressed the hope that better sense would now prevail and some tangible decisions would flow out of the Monday meeting. The opposition leader has gone to Lahore to have a session with Sharif to prepare the agenda of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief's meeting with the president. Other PML-N leaders were deeply skeptic about any major positive outcome of the session, which is being held amid highly estranged relations between the PML-N and Pakistan People's Party (PPP). “In fact, a significant number of key leaders of our party are opposed to the very meeting of Sharif arguing that such sessions hardly produce anything worthwhile given the president's track record,” said one of them on condition of anonymity. However, the PML-N leader said, Sharif overruled their opposition and decided to honor the invitation so as not to give any impression anywhere that he was anathematic to dialogue. Another PML-N spelled out four reasons behind Zardari's long overdue invitation to Sharif. “This is just a PR exercise of the president,” he said. Zardari and Sharif held their last session in July this year at Raiwind on the latter's invitation, which turned out to be futile as they agreed to grossly disagree on all burning issues. The second reason, according to the PML-N leader, is that Zardari wants to prove that he is a shrewd politician. Another reason, he said, is that the president feels a lot of pressure from different circles for the bad governance, mismanagement and total hold over power. – SG The fourth reason, he said, is that by inviting Sharif to the dinner Zardari wants to give the impression to his foreign friends that he has good ties with all leading political players and doesn't hesitate to see and discuss political matters with them. Yet another PML-N leader told this correspondent that there was no question of budging by his party on its stand on the notorious National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). President Zardari will be thoroughly disappointed if he sought Sharif's support for the smooth passage of the NRO in parliament,” he said. Instead, the PML-N leader said, his party chief would recommend that the president and all others who had benefited from the NRO should get themselves cleared by following the due process of law to earn respect and erase the stigma of exploiting the universally condemned law. He said that Sharif would press for undoing the continued concentration of powers in one man, President Zardari, allowing parliament to become strong and relevant in decision-making. He said that the PML-N chief would certainly reiterate his demand to scrap the 17th amendment, urge the president to give up further dragging foot on its abolition, and de-link it from the constitutional package that a 27-member multiparty committee headed by Raza Rabbani was preparing, which was an unending exercise. “The ball will be in the president's court to make the session being held after a gap of over three months a success or a non-starter because we are very clear what to say and demand,” the PML
