LAHORE, Aug 7: MMA vice-president Qazi Husain Ahmad says the religious parties’ alliance and the ruling PML-Q are sticking to their respective positions on all important issues of the LFO and thus it is wrong to infer that there has been any breakthrough in Wednesday night’s talks.
Speaking to Dawn on Thursday, he said the meeting between the two sides was nothing more than “exchange of views”.
He said a meeting of the MMA’s Supreme Council has been called for Saturday in Islamabad which would discuss the situation in the light of the MMA-government contacts and chalk out the alliance’s future course of action.
In response to a question, he said it would not be fair on his part to recall the viewpoints of the MMA and the PML-Q on all subjects. “Suffice it to say that there has been no breakthrough. This is because there is no flexibility on the other side. This clears the whole situation,” said the Qazi.
The MMA leader said the alliance had also not been given any package which had been promised by the government. Unless the package was submitted, the MMA would not be in a position to propose amendments.
He reiterated that the MMA did not accept the LFO a part of the Constitution or the election of Gen Musharraf as president through referendum.
About the possibility of the MMA leaders’ meeting with President Musharraf, Qazi said no such meeting was on the cards. When talks with the PML-Q leaders have failed to make any progress, there would be no use meeting Gen Musharraf, he argued.
He refused to predict the possible consequences if the two sides fail to settle differences even in the future round of talks.
Another important MMA leader, seeking anonymity, told Dawn that the issue of Gen Musharraf’s uniform would be settled at a meeting with the general as the PML-Q negotiators were not empowered to discuss the subject.
However, he made it clear that the MMA would not give him more than a year in uniform.
As for the election of Gen Musharraf through assemblies, he said it would be decided in talks with the PML-Q whether it would be for a period of five years or the two years he has already enjoyed would be excluded from the term.
The source said no date has been set for the next round of talks between the two sides. He said the fact that the government had invited the MMA for talks implied that they had accepted the LFO controversial.
