April 10, 2003	Thursday	Safar 7, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, April 9: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan has said the entire political system will be in jeopardy if the Legal Framework Order (LFO) is removed from the 1973 Constitution.

Informed sources told Dawn that a two-member JUI-F delegation, comprising Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Maualan Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, met Mr Jamali on Wednesday at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat. The team was asked not to oppose the LFO as it would create serious problems in the country.

The prime minister said the general elections were held under the LFO. Similarly, he said, women seats were increased and, eventually, his election as the premier was held under the LFO provisions.

During the meeting, in which PML-Q President and its parliamentary leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain was also present, the prime minister sought MMA’s cooperation to smoothly run affairs of his government.

However, the sources said, the prime minister assured the delegation that the PML government would take into confidence all the opposition parties on important national and international issues.

The prime minister, they said, directed the PML president to continue holding talks with the MMA on the LFO and other issues. The delegation was also told that the National Security Council (NSC) would help to have a consensus on important national and international issues.