Former premier Nawaz Sharif on Monday said it would be 'better' for President Pervez Musharraf if he stepped down immediately in the wake of the rout of his supporters in Pakistan's general election.
Sharif, whose Pakistan Muslim League-N last week announced it would form a coalition with the Pakistan People's Party, said that newly-elected parliamentarians of the victorious parties would meet in Islamabad on Wednesday to demand the immediate transfer of power by Musharraf.
"We are meeting so that Musharraf can realise the real situation. The sooner Musharraf understands the situation, accepts the people's verdict and steps down, the better it is for him," he told media persons after meeting Jamaat-e-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed.
"I am saying this repeatedly; it will be better for him (Musharraf)," said Sharif, who has asserted that the PML-N will not work with the President in any future dispensation.
Sharif pointed out that the PML-N, PPP and Awami National Party and independents supporting the three parties would have nearly two-thirds majority in the new National Assembly.
"The parliamentary parties of the PPP, PML-N, ANP and independents, which comprise nearly two-thirds of the National Assembly, will meet in Islamabad on February 27 to demand the convening of parliament and transfer of power immediately," he said.
Sharif and Ahmed discussed the emerging political scenario, the ongoing efforts to form government and the campaign against extremism and terrorism, especially in Pakistan's north-western areas.
"We want a definition for the war on terror. Whose war is it, why is it being fought," Sharif asked.
"Can it be ended only through guns and bullets or is there the option of dialogue?"
He pointed out that even Britain had held a dialogue with secessionists to resolve the issue of Northern Ireland.
"All issues in Pakistan can also be resolved through dialogue. We are conducting a dialogue to settle issues with India, so why not with our own people," he said.