Musharraf must give up uniform by Oct '04: MMA

28 July 2003, 18:00 PM

PTI, Islamabad

The opposition Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal has extended the deadline for President Pervez Musharraf to renounce his military position till October 2004 and has agreed to enter into a dialogue with the Jamali government on the "controversial" issue of Legal Framework Order, drawing criticism from other opposition parties.

"We proposed that we are ready to give October 2004 deadline for separating the two offices, the Army Chief and the President, being held by General Pervez Musharraf," MMA Deputy Chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed told reporters after the much-awaited parliamentary party meeting, which was boycotted by the opposition Alliance for Restoration of Democracy.

Qazi Hussein said the government has accepted that the LFO was a "controversial" issue, adding "in the four-hour meeting, the government has not insisted that LFO is part of the Constitution".

Confirming the decision of the six-party alliance, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said the meeting discussed the "controversial points" of the LFO.

"The MMA has proposed October 2004 as far as uniform is concerned," Ahmed said. "...they have given a proposal on the LFO's controversial clauses and we reserve a decision".

Ahmed said even if the government accepts this October 2004 deadline, President General Pervez Musharraf's tenure at presidency would start after that time-frame.

While the MMA agreed to continue the dialogue with the government on LFO issue, it said a clarification on the issue by Jamali government as demanded by the Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP-P) and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), would facilitate participation of the entire opposition in the talks.

Meanwhile, hardline Jamiat-Ulema Islam chief Fazlur Rahman's recent visit to India has generated a huge stir within the six-party alliance and has angered Pakistan-based militant outfits operating in Jammu and Kashmir.

Before leaving Pakistan, the JUI-F chief had assured the Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal leaders that he would not speak against the alliance's policy towards Kashmir, sources in the MMA said. But, his controversial statements on the Line of Control (LoC) and his "close to opposition" attitude towards the struggle in Kashmir had created a stir in all circles in Pakistan.

Sources told the daily Dawn that JUI-F had decided to send its delegation to India when leader of Jammat-i-Islami party Qazi Husain Ahmad and others in the MMA had refused to welcome a Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind delegation led by Asad Madni that wanted to visit Pakistan as part of an "Ulema diplomacy" to initiate dialogue between the two countries.