May 5, 2003	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 2, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, May 4: The Pakistan Muslim League-Q is divided on the question of holding negotiations with the opposition parties on the Legal Framework Order.

Sources in the PML-Q said that one of the groups believes that by conceding to hold negotiation out of the Parliament, the party had compromised its “stated position” on the LFO, according to which it was part of the Constitution and need not be validated by the parliament.

They said that groups in the ruling party were said to be led by president of the PML-Q Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali and Speaker of the National Assembly Chaudhry Amir Hussain. In addition to these group, another group held the view that democracy in Pakistan should be led by a “uniformed president.”

Sources said that the group led by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain sought the opposition’s agreement on a “uniformed president,” and believed that the opposition could have been made to agree on this point.

Prime Minister Jamali was opposed to giving president discretionary powers to dismiss the sitting prime minister instead of being able to dismiss the National Assembly.

Another group in the PML-Q was in favour of the Article 58(2)(B) of the Constitution, saying that it would have a dampening effect on the president’s powers.

Sources said that a large number of party members believed that a “mistake” had been committed at the time of administering oath to the MNAs. “They (the newly-elected MNAs) should have been told in clear terms at the very outset that those who were not willing to take oath under the LFO would have to go home.”

Terming the formation of a new group in the PML-Q comprising party members belonging to the southern Punjab, which was being led by the PML-N MNA Wasi Zafar, significant, sources said that it would gain greater strength if negotiations on LFO progressed out of the mandate given by the “uniformed president.”

There was also a sense of unease in the judiciary, sources said.

The chief justice of the Supreme Court, the sources said, had reportedly conveyed his displeasure to the government on the manner in which the judges’ tenure was being discussed.