August 22, 2002	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Saani 12,1423

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 21: Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) on Wednesday agreed to launch a joint struggle for the restoration of democracy and constitution.

This cooperation would include seats adjustment to defeat those supporting the army regime’s undemocratic rule.

They rejected what they termed as the so-called presidential constitutional package as an extra-constitutional act by an individual and said, “only an elected parliament had the right to amend constitution”.

They also agreed to constitute a committee of experts to look into the seats adjustment on various national and provincial assemblies constituencies and to draw out modalities for such an arrangement.

The PML(N) team, led by Raja Zafarul Haq, visited Jamaat’s local office and held its first formal meeting with the MMA top brass, its chairman Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, Maulana Samiul Haq, Allama Sajid Naqvi, Prof Sajid Mir, Liaquat Baloch and other local leaders.

Raja Zafarul Haq was accompanied by the party secretary-general Saranjam Khan, vice-president Syed Zafar Ali Shah, Zaeem Qadri, and Tanvir Ahmed Khan.

Later, talking to newsmen Liaquat Baloch, JI vice-chief and head of alliance’s political committee, said that both sides felt that their collaboration was essential.

Both sides agreed to continue cooperating beyond October polls to ensure that there was no repeat of Oct 12, 1999.

They reiterated their stance against the proposed constitutional package and vowed to resist its promulgation at all costs.

Syed Zafar Ali Shah, a PML representative told Dawn that the meeting expressed dismay over the regime’s ugly attitude towards political leaders like Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, and Shahbaz Sharif, which they said makes the whole process of transition to democracy doubtful.