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| April 13, 2003 | Sunday | Safar 10, 1424 |
Political settlement only solution to LFO: Shah
MULTAN, April 12: The LFO controversy can be resolved only through a political settlement with both sides willing to give up their personal interests.
This was stated by MNA Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Husain Qureshi while discussing the issue at an open forum at the Press Club on Saturday. The topic of the forum was the LFO stand-off, and the PPP leader was the main speaker on the occasion. Prominent among others were former provincial minister Iqbal Khan Khakwani, Punjab Bar Council member Habibullah Shakir and Rao Waseem Asghar.
Mr Qureshi warned that the political impasse on the LFO had now entered a danger zone and the politicians would have to behave maturely and the establishment should give up obstinacy at this juncture.
The PPP (Parliamentarians) leader said the emerging trend in the backdrop of war on Iraq was the doctrine of pre-emptive attacks and the recent threats by the Indian foreign minister should be viewed in this perspective. It was about time to show national integrity, he added.
He said the LFO was in fact a legal fig-leaf to cover up all the extra constitutional steps taken by the Musharraf regime during the last three years. He said it was neither legal nor constitutional order because the procedure laid down in the articles 38 and 39 to amend the constitution had not been followed.
“Although the Supreme Court had no right to amend the constitution or give license to someone to do it, the apex court did this in the Zafar Ali Shah case on the basis of ‘doctrine of necessity’ and gave three years to the government without asking it, he said. He added: But the court had directed that the amendments should not change the parliamentary character of the constitution.
According to Mr Qureshi, people had elected them to do legislation, but the legislators could not perform their duties in the presence of the tampered constitution (inclusion of LFO).
To reach a consensus, he said politicians and establishment would have to part with their respective agenda. He added that a politician or a political party could gain popularity only by following people’s agenda.
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