May 7, 2003	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 4, 1424

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SWABI, May 6: Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) General Secretary Saranjam Khan said on Tuesday that his party’s leadership strived for the restoration of genuine democracy and the original Constitution of 1973 without the Legal Framework Order.

Talking to newsmen, he said all the amendments inserted in the Constitution under the LFO were only aimed at strengthening President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s grip on power but the question was who had authorized him to amend the Constitution.

“Under the democratic norms, only parliament is empowered to make changes to the Constitution by a two-thirds majority, he said.

He urged the combined opposition to avoid any compromise on the LFO and said the nation would not forgive the leaders if they showed flexibility because such a deal would have a far-reaching impact on the Constitution.   The present order could be termed a period of “controlled democracy,” he said and added that there was no place for a dictator in the statute book.

Replying to a question, he said the solution of the tussle between the opposition and the government over the constitutional amendments was restoration of the original Constitution, which was a consensus document adopted by all the political parties unanimously.

The present system, he said, could not be called parliamentary democracy because all the powers were enjoyed by the president in uniform and the elected representatives were at his mercy.

He said other parties wanted that Gen Musharraf should become president through parliament but the PML-N’s stand was that he should leave both the slots and wait for two years according to the army rules before contesting election.

He stressed that the opposition should maintain unity in its ranks as the secret agencies had devised plans for creating differences in it.

He said there was a possibility that the assemblies would complete their terms if the opposition succeeded in removing the LFO and restoring the Constitution. Everybody knew what the fate of the assemblies would be if the present environment persisted, he said.

Replying to a question, he said he had no differences with the PML-N’s provincial president, Pir Sabir Shah.

About talks with India, he said his party was in favour of a peaceful solution of all disputes, including the core issue of Kashmir. If the two nuclear powers were able to resolve their irritants, only then the dream of durable peace and economic stability could materialize, he said.