PESHAWAR, April 23: Jamaat-i-Islami provincial chief and Senator Prof Ibrahim has said that the crisis in the parliament could be resolved by presenting the Legal Framework Order before the lower house for debate.
Speaking at a press conference held at the residence of NWFP Senior Minister Sirajul Haq on Wednesday, he said that the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal wanted to debate the LFO in the National Assembly.
He said that there were three parties involved in the current conflict over the LFO — the pro-Musharraf, the PML-Q and the opposition.
The PML-Q and the opposition despite their difference of opinion on the LFO, were willing to solve the issue through negotiation, but the pro-Musharraf group wanted the LFO at all cost, which was not acceptable to the MMA, he maintained.
“The MMA does not consider LFO as part of the Constitution, but President Gen Pervez Musharraf insists that if the opposition is against the LFO then it should show a two-thirds majority against in the National Assembly,” he said.
Prof Ibrahim criticized the PML-Q for its failure to play due role to end the standoff between President Musharraf and the opposition on the issue.
He said that Chaudhry Shujaat had pledged to bridge the differences between President Musharraf and the opposition, but he played a negative role.
The JI leader informed the reporters that the MMA was under pressure to show flexibility on the LFO issue as some politicians feared dissolution of assemblies.
“The MMA has shown flexibility and asked Gen Musharraf either to quit the office of chief of army staff or presidency as according to the Constitution, he neither can remain as COAS after attaining superannuation nor can become president without completing two-year gap between his service and presidentship election,” he maintained.
The senator said that the MMA had asked President Musharraf to withdraw LFO for remaining as president. “Even we are willing to give five-year mandate to him as president, but he has to withdraw the LFO,” he added.
Prof Ibrahim said that even Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan and Ziaul Haq had presented all the constitutional amendments before the elected representatives for debate. And the amendments, which were considered important to run the government were approved by the elected assemblies. But, Gen Musharraf wanted to keep all the powers with him through LFO, he alleged.
