July 19, 2002	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 8, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, July 18: Delegations of two political parties during separate meetings with President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Thursday questioned his authority to amend the Constitution and urged him to leave the job for parliament.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Awami National Party were invited by the president as part of his consultative process to seek public opinion on the constitutional packages.

President Musharraf, accompanied by his team of experts, particularly National Reconstruction Bureau chief Tanveer Hussain Naqvi, held sessions with a three-member delegation of the MQM led by Senior Deputy Convener Aftab Sheikh and a five-member team of the ANP headed by party president Asfandyar Wali.

The sessions lasted for approximately two hours and the two constitutional packages and political parties order remained the focus of the discussions, an official source said.

“We, at the very outset of the discussions, told the president that no individual could be allowed to amend the Constitution,” Mr Asfandyar said.

Talking to Dawn by phone, he said that they had also questioned the Supreme Court’s authority to delegate power to any individual or government to amend the Constitution.

“Supreme Court has no powers to amend the Constitution, so how can it delegate these to anyone else?” he asked.

Aftab Sheikh said they had conveyed the considered opinion of their party that the Constitution could only be amended by parliament and that there was no other way of amending it.

“The president listened to them and his aides took notes,” was the reply of both Aftab Sheikh and Mr Asfandyar when asked about the response of the president to their suggestions.

Aftab Sheikh said the government seemed flexible on all the proposed amendments except those pertaining to the president’s power and the proposed National Security Council.

The government, the Muttahida leader said, was even willing to review the graduation restrictions imposed on the future candidates for parliament and provincial assemblies.

Muttahida team also demanded of the president to transfer to the provinces all the subjects except for finance, foreign affairs, communications and defence.

Nasreen Jaleel and Sheikh Liaquat included in the Muttahida delegation. Begum Nasim Wali, Dr Inayatullah, Ahsan Wayne and Anwer were part of the ANP delegation.