In a fresh bid to forge opposition unity, former premier Nawaz Sharif will meet his political rival Benazir Bhutto next week to persuade her to boycott the January polls, even as the Pakistan People's Party leader formally kicked off her election campaign.
Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N contacted Bhutto's party for a meeting and the two leaders would "probably meet on Monday or Tuesday," PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said on Saturday.
Bhutto, who released her party's election manifesto on Friday, had said she was taking part in the polls "under protest" and could still review the stand if the opposition jointly agreed on a boycott.
Sharif has been urging her to join the All Parties Democratic Movement, which has said it will not participate in the election if deposed judges of the Supreme Court are not reinstated.
Babar said a meeting between the two former prime ministers "is on the cards" though the exact date and time has not been fixed.
Bhutto flew to Peshawar to formally launch a campaign for her party, which is seeking to return to power after 11 years.
The "basic issue" to be discussed by the two leaders is "whether to boycott the election or not", he said.
If a decision is taken not to participate in the polls, Sharif and Bhutto will discuss "what would be the right time to boycott the election" and "a common strategy" for all opposition parties, Babar said.
Babar pointed out that Bhutto had earlier said the opposition should "come out with a firm agenda as to what to do if the polls are boycotted."
Though Bhutto has been non-committal on the reinstatement of the deposed judges, Babar said the PPP's demand for the revocation of the emergency also meant that the sacked judges "will come back to their positions."
If the judges are not reinstated, the issue will be decided by the next parliament, he said. The PPP also wants an independent judiciary, he said.
President Pervez Musharraf, who doffed his uniform and announced that emergency will be lifted on December 16, has said that he will not tolerate any attempt to destabilise the election process, including a possible boycott.
He has also asserted the polls will be held as scheduled "come hell or high water".
However, the credibility of the polls could be severely dented if Sharif and Bhutto agree on a boycott.