December 28, 2002	Saturday	Shawwal 23, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 27: A meeting of parliamentary group of Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam) and its allies has been convened on Sunday to chalk out a strategy for the National Assembly session being held for securing of vote of confidence by Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali.

The parliamentary groups of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, People’s Party Parliamentarians and the PML (Nawaz) will meet at Parliament House an hour before the assembly proceedings start.

The ruling coalition’s meeting, to be presided over by Jamali at Prime Minister’s House, would assess the situation and ensure that the required numerical strength was available before going for securing the vote, sources told Dawn.

The prime minister would hold crucial meetings with the leaders of various ally parties, sources said.

He had met MMA Vice-President Qazi Hussain Ahmed in Lahore last week to request the alliance’s cooperation in the vote of confidence, which was refused. He again met the Jamaat-i-Islami chief before leaving for Ashkabad on Thursday during a ceremony held in honour of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, but Qazi Hussain reiterated the MMA’s stance on its support to the coalition government, sources said.

Sources said the government had ensured around 176 votes, four more than those gained in the election of leader of the house.

The reason for the thin majority, the sources said, was failure of the regime in gaining the support of more members from the PPP. There was a hope that four or five more members from the party would change their loyalties on Dec 30, they said.

The MMA parliamentary party will be faced with the task of improving the relations between its two major parties, the JI and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl), as they have started publicly criticizing each other in the NWFP on allotment of seats in by-election.

During the session, sources said, a senior leaguer would move a resolution reposing confidence in the leadership of Jamali, which would be supported by the majority with a voice vote.

If the voice vote is challenged by any member, the house will be asked for a division for counting and after proof of majority’s support the speaker will make the announcement.

The session summoned by the president for Dec 30 was being vouched as a fiery one, for, the opposition parties were poised to raise their voice against the government’s toeing the policies of the military rulers on all matters, sources said.

Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain, who faced the opposition parties on the first day after his election when he reserved his ruling on members’ oath under the 1973 Constitution, will face a test in running the house by avoiding a clash between the ruling and opposition groups.

He will be asked to announce the reserved ruling about the Legal Framework Order, which is expected to generate heat.