ISLAMABAD, May 10: The government-opposition talks on the Legal Framework Order have entered a crucial phase as the joint constitutional committee is facing a deadlock over the issue of president’s holding of two offices, sources told Dawn.
The 11-member committee will resume its deliberations on the LFO on Monday afternoon. In its last meeting on Friday, the committee failed to reach a consensus on a timeframe for the president to relinquish the COAS office and to seek a fresh vote from parliament to become a constitutional head of state.
The opposition members are convinced that all contentious issues of the LFO could be resolved but the talks could be deadlocked over the question of the president’s holding of two offices.
PPP’s Latif Khosa, a member of the committee, said the major stress of the opposition was on President Musharraf to give a cut-off date for relinquishing the COAS office.
He stated that the government side had been maintaining that since the president had himself realized that he should not keep both the offices with himself it should better be left to him to decide a date in this regard.
About the status of the LFO, he said the government had acknowledged it as a disputed document by entering into a dialogue on it and agreeing to bring it before parliament for assent by a two-thirds majority.
Asked about the rumours that the MMA might join hands with the government after striking a deal, he said till date the alliance had been supporting the position that parliament must be made supreme, and not any other institution.
PML-Q’s Senator S. M. Zafar, however, dispelled the impression that a deadlock emerged during the committee’s deliberations on Friday.
Talking to this reporter, he said the committee had a brief session on Friday because of Juma prayers, and since the parliamentary business was not done on Saturdays and Sundays, the deliberations were adjourned till Monday afternoon.
When asked whether members from the government side would meet the president or the prime minister to seek instructions, the veteran politician said: “We have enough instructions already.”
He, however, said, he would meet PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Monday morning to discuss, among other things, progress made at the talks.
