June 4, 2003	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 3, 1424

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ISLAMABAD June 3: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) is expecting an immediate reshuffle in top bureaucracy as a first step under the administrative actions that have been proposed by a top level meeting presided over by President Gen Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad on Monday.

However, the MMA leadership is confident that any step aimed at weakening or dislodging its government in the province would lead the country into chaos and strengthen the MMA’s political base as its reaction will not confine to the NWFP province also but it would be stronger in other parts of the country.

NWFP Senior Minister Sirajul Haq told Dawn by telephone that the provincial government had initiated action against two Nazimeen in accordance with the provisions of Local Government Order and had also informed the president about it.

Another senior MMA leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said: “They (the federal government) may go beyond administrative steps to the imposition of governor’s rule in the province but no amount of pressure would force the MMA to deviate from its stated position on the LFO and centrally-controlled local government system.”

Mr Hussain blamed hawks within Prime Minister Jamali’s government for sabotaging reconciliation efforts between the government and the MMA on the Legal Framework Order and president’s army uniform issue.