May 30, 2003	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 27,1424

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QUETTA, May 29: MMA’s secretary-general Maulana Fazlur Rahman has offered support to the government on certain conditions to let it out of the current political and constitutional crises, but “without compromising on principles.”

Speaking at a public meeting here on Thursday at Sadiq Shaheed ground, he said the MMA wanted reconciliation on all issues.

He said the government should immediately stop FBI operations on Pakistani soil, get back all Pakistani air bases from the US forces, stop privatization of educational institutions, implement the judgments of the Federal Shariat Court and the Shariat appellate bench of the Supreme Court regarding interest-free economy and restore Friday as weekly holiday. All legislation in the assembly should be made according to the recommendations of the Council of Islamic Ideology.

He said if the government was ready to accept these conditions the MMA would give some more time and concessions to the government on different issues. He, however, said the MMA’s offer for cooperation to the government did not mean that it was ready to compromise on its stand on various issues, including the Legal Framework Order.

Referring to the LFO issue, the MMA leader said the committee constituted for preparing recommendations had completed its work and had submitted its report to the prime minister.

“We are waiting for the party heads’ meeting,” Maulana Fazlur Rahman said.

He said the government “cannot achieve anything” through delaying tactics and it would not succeed in creating rift in the ranks of the MMA component parties and the combined opposition.

“The MMA and the combined opposition are united on all issues, and attempts at pitting the two against each other would prove futile,” he declared.