Islamabad, July 21: In a bid to forge unity among opposition parties against Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's constitutional amendments, deposed premier Nawaz Sharif's Party, PML (N) has convened an all party meeting on Saturday. The All Party Conference (APC) has been convened following conflicting signals from the government about the parameters for the resumption of dialogue between the two sides over the "extra-constitutionality" of Musharraf's amendments, PML-N acting president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi said.

"We've established contacts with 24 out of 40 political parties for Saturday's APC," he said adding the agenda of APC would be restoration of the 1973 constitution. Hashmi said the six party Islamic Alliance Muttahida Majlis-e--Alam (MMA), PML-N and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) have decided not to hold talks with the government one by one.

He said the combined opposition intends to form a joint committee to make recommendations to Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali to thrash out consensus over the amendments or the Legal Framework Order (LFO).

Preliminary dialogue between the opposition and government on the LFO had started in May. Bureau Report