PML-N's Maryam Nawaz meets PPP's Bilawal Bhutto at Iftar-dinner

In a show of unity, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz met the chairman of Pakistan People Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto at an Iftar-dinner hosted by him here on Sunday.

It was for the first time that Maryam came face-to-face with Bilawal whose slain mother Benazir Bhutto was a strong rival of now jailed ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif but later the two joined hands against military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

The Iftar-dinner was also attended by other opposition leaders, including Awami National Party leader Asfandyar Wali, Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai among others.

There was apparently no set political agenda but the presence of so many opposition leaders provided an occasion to discuss various political issues, according to a PML-N leader.

PPP leader Farhatullah Babar said that the political situation in the country could be discussed during the Iftar-dinner.

You can call it a tentative grand meeting of the opposition parties and it can be seen as a step towards a formal get-together in the near future, he told reporters.

The opposition is trying to cash in the simmering discontent among the masses over massive increase in prices due to hike in petroleum products and devaluation of rupee.

Some of the leaders like Fazlur Rehman are pushing for launching a protest after end of Ramadan next month.

Experts believe that the first ever meeting of Maryam and Bilawal will set the tone of cooperation between the two major parties for any street protest against the government.

Iftar-dinners are organised by politicians in the holy month of Ramadan to celebrate the breaking of day-long fast.

Often such parties provide an opportunity for political consultations.