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| October 9, 2003 | Thursday | Sha’aban 12, 1424 |
Shujaat’s departure delays LFO accord
ISLAMABAD, Oct 8: The sudden departure of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, the president of Pakistan Muslim League, for Germany has virtually ended all hopes of an early resolution of the Legal Framework Order (LFO) deadlock.
Mr Shujaat had to embark on this trip for medical treatment.
A constitutional package, excluding the cut-off date for Gen Musharraf’s quitting the army post, was almost ready, according to both the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) and government.
It had been given to understand by the two parties that the package was to be finalized upon Prime Minister Jamali’s return from his US visit on Thursday.
In a meeting with MMA’s Liaquat Baloch in Lahore last week, Mr Shujaat and S.M.Zafar had held out an assurance that as soon as the prime minister returned from abroad, the government side would submit its final response to the queries raised by the MMA in its written comments on the government’s package proposals.
The Pakistan Muslim League (PML), after the announcement of so-called unification on Sept 17, seems to be facing an internal turmoil itself as office-bearers of different factions, after having been declared defunct (except those of the PML-Q), still continue to hold onto their respective posts.
The PML-Q faction had de-cided in its CWC that the leaders of other factions would be accommodated by creating more offices in the unified League.
The party has been in disarray, particularly in Sindh, where one faction of Sindh Democratic Alliance (SDA) has merged itself with the Pakistan Muslim League.
Also, the party sources say they do not expect Prime Minister Jamali to take upon himself the task of completing the work started by his party president, both on the issue of the LFO and the League unification, and would like to wait for Mr Shujaat’s return.
Meanwhile, political pundits were hinting at some high-profile political change in the country’s scene on Mr Jamali’s return, which may strengthen Gen Musharraf’s grip on power.
The power brokers, it is understood, would like to bring some sweeping changes this time round to correct their
mistakes which they believe they had committed while installing the present system in November 2002 after the October polls, the sources claimed.
In order to bring functional harmony between the governors and the provincial chief ministers, it has also been decided to appoint governors of respective chief minister’s liking, the sources said.
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