November 6, 2003	Thursday	Ramazan 10, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Nov 5: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) has taken a view different from that of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy on the issue of National Assembly standing committees.

The ARD legislators on Tuesday tendered their joint resignation from the standing committees in protest against “gross under representation of the opposition members on the committees.”

The MMA has, however, decided that it would meet Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain and register its complaint over the issue of under representation.

Talking to Dawn, MMA’s deputy parliamentary leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said a combined opposition meeting held on Wednesday had decided that both the parliamentary groups would return to the National Assembly speaker and lodge their protest.

The MMA leader said the religious parties alliance was of the opinion the speaker had not given it representation as per its numerical strength of 68 MNAs. Moreover, its members had also been given relatively less important portfolios, he added.

“We will give speaker a chance to make amends in a way that our grievances were removed. However, if it was not done we will also pull out of these committees,” the MMA leader added.

When asked if the ARD had tried to contact the MMA or requested it to join the ARD in tendering a joint resignation, he said no such thing had happened.

Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said the ARD had taken the decision despite the fact that a consensus had been evolved earlier in the combined opposition meeting that on all issues a collective decision would be taken.

He stated that the People’s Party Parliamentarian’s Khurshid Shah and Naveed Qamar had reportedly met Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain on this issue. But apparently no heed was paid to their plea and as result they decided to tender a joint resignation from the standing committees.