April 10, 2003	Thursday	Safar 7, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, April 9: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) on Wednesday reiterated its strong opposition to the Legal Framework Order (LFO) and a president with army uniform.

It however showed willingness to continue dialogue with the government to resolve the issues.

A meeting of the six-party religious alliance described President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali’s stand on LFO as unconstitutional, undemocratic and immoral.

While condemning the joint attack on Iraq by the United States and United Kingdom, the MMA appealed to the nation to boycott all the US and UK manufactured goods including beverages and fast foods to express solidarity with the innocent Iraqis.

The meeting was presided over by alliance’s president Senator Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani and attended by MMA’s vice-presidents Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Allama Sajid Naqvi, Prof Sajid Mir, secretary-general Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Maulana Hamidul Haq (representing Senator Maulana Samiul Haq), Liaqat Baloch and Hafiz Hussain Ahmed.

Briefing reporters, Mr Noorani brushed aside the reports of internal differences within the ranks of MMA over its talks with the government.

JI chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed said: “Our fundamental stand on LFO was clear as all of us believe that no individual has the right to amend Constitution even if the Supreme Court had allowed him as it had no power to empower anyone to do so.”

Defending the alliance’s unified stand, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said: “You can see that the stand of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s leadership has remained unchanged on this matter all along, therefore don’t believe the propaganda of our adversaries.”

The JUI-F chief said that he had talked to the government party as a representative of the MMA and explained its stand in clear terms.

Liaqat Baloch, who is a member of negotiating team, said: “We have been presenting reports of all meetings to the leadership.”

The MMA meeting declared that it would never accept the LFO as part of the Constitution until it was put before the parliament and its assent by two-thirds majority was sought.

The MMA advised Gen Musharraf to step down from the post of COAS in the larger interest of the country, its unity and solidarity and also to enable the political leadership to steer it out of, what he called, the worst crisis of its national history.

The country, it stressed, needed a full time COAS, who could be able to concentrate on its defence when it was faced with threats from the enemy instead of his involvement in the power politics. It would be better for Gen Musharraf to choose one of the two offices, the MMA said.

Mr Noorani said that the people of Pakistan had expressed their abhorrence against the barbaric act of the US and the UK against Iraq and demonstrated their solidarity with the hapless people of Iraq on the appeal of MMA.

The next million march against the US attack on Iraq would be held in Hyderabad, and decision about marches in Muzaffarabad and Jacobabad would be taken later on.

The MMA condemned indiscriminate bombings which hit hospitals, colleges, universities, Russian ambassador’s caravan, Pakistani embassy and journalists.

The alliance termed the US and UK as blood thirsty terrorists who were terrorizing the entire world by firing on the innocent civilians and killing them.

The MMA announced that it would send medicines and food items for the help of war-affected Iraqis as soon as the situation permitted.

It strongly condemned the government’s offer of cooperation to the US in its war against Afghanistan and described the write- off of a billion dollars US debt as payment of Afghan blood.