ISLAMABAD, Nov 18: The talks between Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and Pakistan Muslim League-Q broke down on the former’s demand that President Gen Pervez Musharraf should give a specific date for relinquishing the charge of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

Amir Jamaat-i-Islami Qazi Hussain Ahmed on Monday said their talks with the PML-Q had made a considerable headway but they broke down on their demand that the president should step down as the COAS.

The government had conceded a great deal on the issue of National Security Council, Article 58(2)(B) and discretionary powers of the president but was not ready to give a date for president giving up charge of COAS.

“We have suggested the date of March 23, 2003,” but the government did not accept saying that the president would give up the charge depending on the situation,” he added.

“It was not acceptable to us in view of the past experience,” he added. The true democratic process could not be restored in the country with a president in uniform, he added.

The MMA, after having failed to strike a deal with PML-Q on Saturday night entered into a dialogue with the PPP for exploring a possibility of fielding joint candidates in the elections of speaker and deputy speaker to be held on Tuesday.

President of the PPP, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, on Monday evening invited Qazi Hussain Ahmed and MMA’s candidate for speaker, Liaquat Baloch, at a dinner.

Qazi Hussain Ahmed said they were striving for the supremacy of parliament, restoration of democracy and sovereignty of Pakistan. “The Constitution of Pakistan is their joint asset and is a unanimous document and we want to protect its non-controversial status,” he added.

He said they supported all those political forces who were striving for the same cause.

The JI Amir lambasted the government for creating an artificial crisis by delaying the session of the National Assembly and putting the entire blame of this situation on the politicians.

He said they had been demanding of the government to convene the session of the National Assembly where members could sit together and evolve a consensus on formation of the government.

The JI Chief said they had not taken oath under the 1973 Constitution and had rejected the LFO on the floor of the House.

He said the LFO had not become part of the Constitution and the government lacked required majority for amending the Constitution and making LFO part of it.

Although Qazi Hussain Ahmed termed the talks a failure, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who spearheaded the negotiation, termed the talks inconclusive and not a failure, adds Ahmad Hassan.

The talks, which started after 10.30pm on Sunday, continued till 3.30am on Monday during which every contentious issue was discussed and the three sides came closer to an agreement, sources said.

During the night-long discussions, a message from President’s House was conveyed to the negotiators that Gen Musharraf wanted to meet the five members of the negotiating team from both sides. The invitation was, however, politely declined.

The MMA in a statement issued on Monday morning said: “It had tried the whole night through Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to reach at a formula with the government through which the Constitution could be restored with its original spirit. The basic amendments made under LFO should be withdrawn, supremacy of parliament is ensured and president Musharraf agrees to relinquish the post of army chief and ready himself to become president according to the Constitution.

“However, we regret to say that these efforts could not succeed and despite that sufficient breakthrough was achieved in talks final result could not come out.

“Therefore, we have decided that we will present in the National Assembly our candidates Maulana Fazlur Rehman for prime minister, Liaquat Baloch for speaker and Hafiz Hussain Ahmed as deputy speaker with the hope that those who want supremacy of the Constitution according to Islam and democracy and want to rid the country of individual’s rule would support our candidates.”

Meanwhile, talking to newsmen at the Parliament House, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said: “We may continue talks with the MMA on Monday or may not, but one thing should be clear that we will go ahead with our own candidates for the posts of speaker and deputy speaker in Tuesday’s election.”

Chaudhry Shujaat said both the PML-Q and MMA had their reservations on various articles of the LFO, which came under discussion during the meeting but the impression that the talks were stalled only on the question of president’s stepping down as COAS was not correct.