June 21, 2003	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 20,1424

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KARACHI, June 20: MMA secretary-general Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that uniform is not the symbol of stability but of instability, and has asked Gen Pervez Musharraf to quit as early as possible.

Maulana Fazl was answering questions at “Meet the Press” programme of the Karachi Press Club here on Friday.

He welcomed the peace overtures between Pakistan and India, which, according to him, were due to the realization on the part of Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee that if they failed to resolve their issues bilaterally, they might not be able to stop the US from imposing a solution which would not necessarily be in accordance with the aspirations of India and Pakistan.

Maulana Fazl referred to President Pervez Musharraf’s recent interview in which the general had mentioned about 10 or 12 options for the solution of the Kashmir issue. “Whatever option they consider it should be in accordance with the UN resolutions and the aspirations of the people of Kashmir,” he emphasized.

Asked what was the hurdle in the resolution of contentious issues between the opposition and the ruling coalition, he said the joint opposition was trying to make the prime minister and parliament powerful by ensuring supremacy of the Constitution while the majority party in parliament wanted to strengthen the president’s office.

The MMA leader said the judiciary’s verdict granting three years rule to General Musharraf had been given under the law of necessity, but now the general wanted to make the measures taken by him during that period part of the Constitution. “If the Constitution was not in operation how is it possible to amend it? But if the Constitution is restored, the procedure to make amendments to it has to be followed.