April 3, 2003	Thursday	Muharram 30, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, April 2: The opposition in the Senate on Tuesday formed a 13-member committee to exert pressure on the government to bring the issue of the Legal Framework Order before parliament.

The joint opposition committee comprises senators Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani, Maulana Gul Naseeb, Prof Ghafoor Ahmed, Prof Khurshid Ahmed and Maulana Samiul Haq of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal; Mian Raza Rabbani and Dr Safdar Abbasi of the People’s Party Parliamentarians; Mohammad Ishaq Dar of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz); Asfandyar Wali of the Awami National Party; Raza Mohammad Raza of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party; Sanaullah Baloch of the Balochistan National Party; Mohammad Aslam Buledi of the Balochistan National Movement; and Amanullah Kanrani of the Jamhoori Watan Party.

Senator Gul Naseeb will act as coordinator of the committee. The decision to form the committee was taken in meetings held on Monday and Tuesday.

The MMA in the meetings brushed aside the impression of hobnobbing with the government and assured other opposition parties that it would not take any decision individually on the LFO and other issues.

The impression was created due to the ongoing meetings of the ruling party and the MMA.

Sources said the question of the leader of the opposition would be decided later as the committee was focussing on the issue of the LFO.

The committee resolved during its meeting on Tuesday that the opposition parties would coordinate their efforts to ensure that the LFO was brought before parliament.

It said only parliament could amend the Constitution in accordance with its articles 238 and 239.

It stated that only parliament could indemnify steps taken and ordinances promulgated during the period of constitutional deviation.

It affirmed its commitment to make every effort to check illegitimate induction of the LFO into the Constitution.

The committee condemned the aggression of the United States, British and allied forces against Iraq. It had been arbitrarily and illegally imposed on the people of Iraq in violation of the United Nations charter and it constituted a war against humanity, it said.

It stated that thousands of civilians had been killed or injured in 13 days of merciless bombardment and military onslaughts.

It demanded immediate cessation of hostilities in Iraq and withdrawal of the allied forces from the country’s territory.

It asked the government to take an unequivocal stand and play its role in the Security Council to mobilise the UN to bring the war to an end.

The committee demanded that the government immediately call a joint session of parliament to fulfil the constitutional requirements.