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MULTAN, April 6: The MMA stalwart and JUI-F deputy secretary-general, MNA Hafiz Husain Ahmad, claimed on Sunday that the government had agreed to bring the controversial Legal Framework Order to Parliament for scrutiny.
Speaking at a press conference, the JUI-F leader said the MMA and the PML-Q had reached some sort of understanding on the LFO through Chaudhry Shujaat Husain. “But it has been decided that both the sides will not disclose the contents of the ‘accord’ until Shujaat gets ‘go ahead’ from the corners concerned.”
He said the way Shujaat was talking about the agreement with the MMA meant that the ‘beneficiaries’ of the LFO had given him the much-needed signal to end a deadlock on the matter. He termed it the victory of combined opposition in parliament. “We are thankful to Shujaat for maintaining LFO as controversial,” he said.
He also claimed that Shujaat had conveyed to the MMA leadership that Gen Musharraf had expressed intentions to leave one of the two offices he was currently holding by August this year.
Chaudhry Shujaat, who was in Lahore, said that Hafiz Husain had issued a baseless statement for the second time with reference to relinquishing the office of COAS by President Musharraf.
The JUI leader said the PPP shared identical views along with the MMA as far as the matter of LFO was concerned, but on the international issues (war on Iraq) it did not come to an agreement with the alliance.
RASHEED: At a ‘meet-the-press’ programme here, Shaikh Rashid said neither any government-MMA accord on the LFO nor the matter of Gen Musharraf’s intentions to relinquish one of the offices was in his knowledge.
He said, however, the ice had started breaking on both the sides on vital issues, including the LFO.
On wars and threats, he said Pakistan was not Afghanistan or Iraq that anyone might take it for a ‘joy ride’. He said the international community would have to resolve the Kashmir issue to ensure peace in the region.
“We are neither a pocket-watch nor a walking stick of America,” he remarked and repeated his reaction against US sanctions on KRL: “We take the sanctions on the toe of our shoes.”
He claimed that Pakistan’s foreign policy on Iraq war had been appreciated by France, Germany and China. He said Pakistan had made it clear to America that it would not vote for the use of force against Iraq at the United Nations Security Council.
Terming MMA rallies on Iraq crisis ‘friendly’, the minister said they were benefiting the government.
Our staff reprter adds: Talking to reporters at the wedding ceremony of Mian Azhar’s daughter in Lahore on Sunday, Shujaat said the statement would also hit the on-going talks.
“Hafiz Husain is an irresponsible person as it is the second time that he has spoken immaturely.”
Asked about the future of the standoff between the PML-Q and the MMA on the LFO, he said they (MMA) were trying to make non-issue an issue. Earlier, they had tried to score point on the Iraq crisis, he added.
