ISLAMABAD, Aug 21: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) on Thursday resolved to continue its campaign against the Legal Framework Order “more vigorously” both inside and outside the Parliament.
This was decided in a meeting of the alliance held at Parliament Lodges to chalk out a ‘fresh strategy’ in connection with the protest, alliance sources said.
Those, who attended the meeting, included president of the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians Makhdoom Amin Fahim, acting president of the Pakistan Muslim League Javed Hashmi, PML- N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, PPP’s secretary-general Raja Pervez Ashraf, Khurshid Shah and Nawab Yousaf Talpur.
The alliance’s leaders decided to counter the ruling coalition’s reported decision to respond more aggressively to the opposition during the current session of the National Assembly.
The ARD leaders also discussed the recent meeting between members of the ruling coalition and President Gen Pervez Musharraf in which they (coalition members) had been directed to be more “proactive” besides being told to expedite legislative business, which the opposition parties had previously sought to block until a settlement with the government on the LFO issue.
The ARD leaders opined that they had reached a point where they could not compromise on the LFO, the sources said.
“We have no other option but to continue our protest because retreating now means political death,” Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said.
The ARD meeting, which continued until late in the night, was held after a meeting held by National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain with representatives of all parliamentary parties in which he urged them to agree to a joint agenda for the current assembly session for the smooth running of the house.
Representatives, it was learnt, had told the speaker that they would respond after consulting leadership of their respective parties.
