September 8, 2002	Sunday	Jamadi-us-Saani29,1423

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 7: National Democratic Institute, a US-based organization, will bring out a report next week on the Legal Framework Order and its implications on the future democratic setup in Pakistan.

A five-member NDI delegation led by its director Patrick Marloe said this on Saturday during its meeting with Nasreen Jaleel, the deputy convener of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

Ms Jaleel told Dawn that the delegation was trying to assess the implications of the LFO through which many amendments had been introduced in the Constitution and the military role had been formalized with the formation of the National Security Council. The NDI team is holding meetings with various political parties.

The Muttahida leader said that she had apprised the NDI team about the party’s stance on the amendments. The Muttahida, she said, was of the view that no individual could make any change in the Constitution as it was the sole prerogative of parliament.

Ms Jaleel said she had informed the NDI team that her party had developed a working relationship with the military regime but certain elements in the administration were against the Muttahida because it stood for the middle and lower-middle classes and was struggling against the feudal system.

These hidden hands in the administration, she alleged, had helped the criminals, religious extremists as well as the party renegades in Karachi to gang up against the Muttahida.

Armed hooligans of this gang freely roamed about in Karachi with impunity and the backing of the administration, Ms Jaleel, who was invited by the NDI team for the meeting from Karachi, said.