ISLAMABAD April 9: President Pervez Musharraf told lawmakers of ruling coalition parties on Wednesday that he could not give a time-frame to relinquish the office as the Chief of the Army Staff owing to fast-changing strategic conditions in the region, parties’ sources said.
The president received two delegations of lawmakers on Wednesday in continuation of his consultations with parliamentary groups of various parties.
The first delegation comprised about 40 MNAs from the parliamentary groups of Pakistan Muslim League-F, PML-J, PPP (Sherpao), Tribal MNAs’ group, MQM and National Alliance while the second was of around 40 PML-Q MNAs, including ministers and ministers of state who met him under the leadership of party president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.
The sources said that the president, while explaining his point of view, said he was a man of his words, adding that he had fulfilled all promises he made to the nation like devolution of powers to grassroots levels, holding of General Election and transfer of power to elected representatives.
He said if he promised now to take off his army uniform within a certain period and the developments in the intervening period turned out to be unconducive, it would be tantamount to a breach of his promise. Therefore, he said, he was reluctant to make a promise at present on this extremely vital issue.
Prominent among those whom met the president were: former president and chief of Millat Party Sardar Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari, federal minister and chief of his own faction of PPP Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, president of PML-J Hamid Nasir Chattha, MQM parliamentary leader Sifwanullah and Kanwar Khalid Yunus, federal ministers Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Humayun Akhtar Khan and Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari.
The sources said the lawmakers assured the president that nothing unusual would happen if a joint session of parliament was convened for his address.
The members recalled that in the past too a pandemonium was witnessed during addresses by then presidents to joint sessions as the opposition had to play its own role and the treasury benches had their own role to play.
The president gave a resume of reforms he had introduced during the three years of his rule and said these reforms had placed the country at a take-off stage to achieve economic, diplomatic and national goals.
The situation of Iraq war with reference to the world reaction and the UN role were also discussed in detail as the president explained his point of view, the sources said.
According to participants of the meetings, most of the speakers supported the president in his stand on the LFO and the army uniform issues while others wanted that the opposition should also be taken into confidence over these issues.
Hamid Nasir Chattha told Dawn that he had clearly stated that the LFO must be brought to parliament’s scrutiny and assent.
He said he had advised the president to take all opposition parties into confidence in framing national policies and bring them closer on the issue of LFO clauses.
The MQM lawmakers told the president that there was nothing new in opposition’s stand against the LFO and Army chief’s office as in the past too similar stands had been taken.
Kanwar Khalid Yunus of the MQM told Dawn that his party supported the president in his policy on Afghanistan and Iraq and assured him of the fullest support if these policies were continued.
Lawmakers of some of the parties complained to the president that the PML-Q was ignoring other coalition partners and was not taking them into confidence about talks with opposition parties.
