ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: A landmark breakthrough was expected from the late night crucial talks between the Grand National Alliance and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, sources told Dawn, adding that a government team, including high-ranking officers of the establishment, were involved in the effort to bring the two alliances round to forming a coalition.
In the meantime, contacts between the main players of the alliances and high-powered government representatives were made during the day, the sources said.
They told Dawn that the two alliances had come closer on a number of issues but they were still poles apart on various articles of the LFO, presidential powers to appoint services chiefs and the provincial governors, as the MMA wants them to be reversed according to the 1973 Constitution.
The MMA also demands that the president should step down as the army chief and announce a deadline for doing so, which should not be later than March, 2003.
The meeting and its venue were being kept top secret as the alliances’ leadership continued to dodge newsmen while they admitted an important meeting was on the cards.
Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, a senior MMA leader, disclosed to newsmen on Sunday that “a meeting with the GNA and the government is set to start at around 10pm which is to culminate in an agreement between the GNA and the MMA.”
He said: “We expect something positive before 12 noon tomorrow (Monday) — the deadline for filing of nomination papers for the office of speaker and deputy speaker.
A spokesman for the MMA, when contacted, said: “There is nothing for the press today as the meeting may last long and decisions taken at the end.” He also refused to tell where the meeting was taking place.
The GNA, it may be mentioned, had delayed nomination of its own candidate for the speaker and deputy speaker while the PML-Q named Zafarullah Jamali as its candidate for prime minister’s slot, keeping in view the ongoing talks with the MMA, which has fielded Fazlur Rahman and Liaqat Baloch as its candidates for PM and speaker’s offices, respectively.
Both the alliances had, in consultation with each other, delayed the filing of nomination papers for the offices of speaker and deputy speaker by one day to Nov 18 during the National Assembly session on Saturday.
The offices of speaker and deputy speaker, according to the procedure, will be filled through a secret ballot on Nov 19 which, on successful completion, will pave the way for the election of leader of the house/prime minister.
Meanwhile, Ch Shujaat Hussain held a meeting with Maulana Fazlur Rahman and discussed with him contentious issues, including the nomination of prime ministerial candidate.
Talking to newsmen at his residence, Ch Shujaat said that the Maulana did not concede to his request to withdraw from the contest for the top slot and to support Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali.
Earlier, Maulana Fazlur Rahman hinted at a “comprehensive agreement” that could be reached with the GNA late in the night or early Monday morning.
Talking to newsmen at an Iftar party hosted by the PPP, he said that some headway had been made over the last couple of days with PML-Q leadership, which was working as a bridge between the alliance and the government.
He also held parleys with PPP President Makhdoom Amin Fahim but did not disclose details. He, however, dispelled the notion that during the meeting Fahim had persuaded him to support him (Fahim) for the prime ministerial slot.
The MMA leader said the religio-political alliance was putting all its energies into the effort to gain a positive response from the government side on the LFO question, and formation of a coalition government came second on its priority list.
He termed the talks on the LFO “positive” in so far as both the sides had advanced their own proposals and counter proposals for introducing changes in the piece of legislation to make it acceptable to both.
He said while the MMA was engaged in talks with the PML-Q in its bid to resolve the constitutional imbroglio, it was also keeping the ARD leadership in picture by briefing it from time to time on progress of talks.
