ISLAMABAD, June 27: The combined opposition in parliament on Friday expressed its readiness to resume a meaningful dialogue with the Jamali government on constitutional issues provided that no pre-conditions were attached.
The opposition said it will only talk on a constitutional package to be taken to the National Assembly for assent by a two-thirds majority.
A meeting of the combined opposition here finalized its strategy on how to press ahead with its no-trust motion on Saturday morning.
The meeting was attended by PPP’s Makhdoom Amin Fahim, MMA’s Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, Liaquat Baloch, PML-N’s Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Tehmina Daultana, Pir Sabir Shah, and PMAP’s Mehmud Khan Achakzai
The meeting decided that the opposition MNAs will gather at parliament lodges in the early morning, and will head for the parliament house in a procession. It decided that party workers will not be encouraged to accompany the MNAs in their march to avoid any clash with the law enforcers.
During the proceedings, the members will take part in the debate on the no-trust motion strictly in accordance with the rules and procedure of the lower house, but at the same time they would not tolerate any illegal blockade of their march on the parliament house, they said.
Qazi Hussain Ahmed told reporters afterwards that the no-trust motion will not be the last to be debated on Saturday.
Javed Hashmi said the treasury members were for the first time being offered the chance to cast their vote in the no-trust motion, an occasion they should use to oust the speaker.
Qazi Hussain claimed that Maulana Fazlur Rahman had left the country with the permission of the alliance and will be back home before the start of the no-trust motion’s process. He ruled out the possibility of the no-trust motion being withdrawn as demanded by Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali.
Referring to a statement by Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat that the opposition will be responsible for any law and order situation, he said: “Our march will be peaceful, and no one but MPs will take part in it. If the government tried to block its path it would only expose its (government’s) weakness.”
He said the NA speaker, by giving a ruling on the LFO, had violated the Constitution and become a controversial figure.
Javed Hashmi said the opposition had demonstrated full faith in the supremacy of parliament and the Constitution, and it will not deviate from this objective. He said the opposition was not running away. Rather, it was the government which had decided to keep its members away from the process of no-trust motion.
Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said that Mr Jamali’s announcement that the LFO had become a part of the Constitution after the speaker’s ruling meant that his government had not accepted the disputed piece of legislation as legitimate before the ruling.
Tehmina Daultana warned Gen Musharraf against sending Pakistan army personnel to Iraq to be used as mercenaries, and to be killed there. She also asked the government to refrain from recognizing Israel as it will be resisted by the nation.
