October 24, 2003	Friday	Sha’aban 27, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 23: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) is unlikely to change its protest strategy against the Legal Framework Order (LFO) during the ongoing session of the National Assembly, it was learnt here on Thursday.

Sources said that in the last parliamentary party meeting of the ARD, it was decided that the alliance would continue with the same strategy of raising slogans and boycotting the proceedings till the end of the ongoing assembly session.

They, however, said a proposal to hold some demonstrations outside the National Assembly was also under consideration of the top leadership. “There is a possibility of staging a protest sit-in outside the parliament house building in the coming days,” said a senior ARD leader. He said the alliance leadership was considering to adopt some innovative ways to register their protest against the LFO and the president’s uniform.

The sources said formation of a human chain by the opposition parliamentarians along the fence of the Parliament House building was also under active consideration.

The leadership had decided to opt for these steps as a large number of opposition members were getting fed up with the monotonous protest and some had even begun demanding participation in the assembly proceedings.

They said, the top ARD leadership, including Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, was not in favour of participation in the proceedings.

A source in the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) told Dawn that a poll is being conducted within the parliamentary party on the question of whether they wanted to continue the protest against the LFO or wanted to participate in the assembly proceedings.

The question has been asked in writing and the answers is also to be given in writing. The PPP MNAs, the source said, had been asked to give alternative suggestions if they disagreed to the ongoing protest strategy.