August 20, 2003	Wednesday	Jumadi-us-Sani 21, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 19: People’s Party Parliamentarians President Makhdoom Amin Fahim on Tuesday expressed the fear that President Gen Pervez Musharraf was about to dissolve the National Assembly to prolong his rule.

Talking to Dawn at the party’s secretariat, the PPP leader said the recent statements of Gen Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali were creating doubts in the minds of the parliamentarians and the people about the future of the present set-up.

Mr Fahim said Gen Musharraf in a meeting with parliamentarians belonging to the ruling coalition had given them the signal to go ahead with the assembly sessions with or without the opposition.

He said this showed that Gen Musharraf wanted rumpus in the assembly so that he could find an excuse to dissolve it. He said Gen Musharraf wanted to blame the opposition’s lack of cooperation for the dissolution.

He said the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam) and Gen Musharraf would be responsible if any damage was caused to the democratic process and parliament.

The PPP president took exception to the statement of the prime minister, in which he had asked the people to besiege the politicians who were opposing the Legal Framework Order.

Such statements showed that the government had closed all doors for talks with the opposition parties, he said.

He claimed that the meeting of the ruling alliance with Gen Musharraf had exposed differences within the coalition. He said Gen Musharraf had invited only 40 members, which showed that he had no confidence in other members of the alliance.

He said now it had become clear that Gen Musharraf was not ready to remove his uniform even in 10 years.

He said there were no differences between the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on the LFO issue.

He expressed the hope that the MMA would continue its protest against the LFO and would not compromise on principles.

He said the ARD would continue its struggle for the supremacy of parliament and the Constitution.

Replying to a question, Mr Fahim said there was no rule of law in the country, therefore, the party believed that it was not a proper time for former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s return.