June 7, 2003	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 6, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, June 6: The government on Friday shut its doors for dialogue with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and decided to take an aggressive stand against the opposition during the budget session, sources told Dawn.

They said the government had decided to deal sternly with legislators who tried to disrupt the session.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of PML-Q and its allies which was presided over by Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.

“The PML-Q and its allies decided that sergeant-at-arms will take care of anyone who tries to trespass the limits and disrupt the proceedings,” the sources said.

When asked whether the action could be on the pattern of the Punjab Assembly where entry of about 27 MPAs into the assembly hall was banned, the source said the powers of the speaker would only be used inside the assembly building.

Most of the PML-Q and allied party legislators in their speeches asked the government for a tit-for-tat reply to the opposition.

The meeting decided that the budget and the finance bill would be presented as per normal procedure and the sergeant-at-arms would be asked to keep an eye on miscreants to take them out of the house.

Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali in his speech assured the participants that no one from the opposition would be allowed to take the law in his hands as enough tolerance and patience had been demonstrated.

Meanwhile, the government sources claimed that a serious rift had been brewing in the ranks of opposition parties.

They said the PML-N was angry with the MMA for taking credit for passing the same Shariat bill that was authored and presented in the National Assembly by the PML-N.