June 1, 2003	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 29, 1424

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ISLAMABAD May 31: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on Saturday reiterated its offer to consider letting the president retain the office of the chief of the army staff for one more year if the government accepted its demands regarding the Legal Framework Order as well as the alliance’s 17-point Islamization programme.

The offer was made by alliance’s deputy secretary-general Hafiz Hussain Ahmed while talking to Dawn.

The idea was earlier floated by Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed on Friday.

Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had conveyed to Pakistan Muslim League-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Husain during their meeting on Friday that the alliance was ready to extend its deadline for divesting the president’s uniform beyond Aug 14, 2003 if the government accepted its charter of demands regarding LFO and Islamization.

He said that the alliance was not ready to extend the deadline more than a year from the date both the sides reached a package deal in this regard.

Expressing satisfaction over the pace of the government- opposition talks, the MMA leader said that if the talks failed, it would be only because of the government’s inflexibility.

He said that the alliance would not relent in its struggle till its proposals, submitted to the speaker of the National Assembly in writing, were accepted.

The MMA leader claimed that the president’s team had in its latest meeting with Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Friday had also backed from its previous stated position on the deadline, asking the alliance to let the president’s retain dual offices for two more years, but the duration was still unacceptable to the alliance.

Originally, he said, the government had insisted upon letting the president hold both offices for a period of five years as had been laid down in the LFO but they have now agreed on a minimum tenure of two years.