November 12, 2003	Wednesday	Ramazan 16, 1424

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

ISLAMABAD, Nov 11: The combined opposition has announced that it will soon launch a mass protest movement against the “perpetration of military rule”.

Speaking at a joint press conference on Tuesday after having staged a walkout from the National Assembly session, opposition leaders said their protest movement would strive to replace the military controlled system with undiluted democracy which would run strictly in accordance with the 1973 Constitution.

The ARD, the MMA and other smaller groups also decided to file a fresh requisition for National Assembly and Senate sessions in such a manner as to make it impossible for the government to circumvent the move. The leaders hinted that the requisition would be sent to the two secretariats near the end of Ramazan so that the two houses were summoned soon after Eid.

ARD chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahi m condemned the National Assembly speaker for not issuing a production order for Javed Hashmi and demanded his immediate release.

He termed Mr Hashmi’s detention a coercive action since the letter on the basis of which he was detained was anonymous and so far had not been owned or acknowledged by any one.

Mr Fahim said political victimization could not save the regime and criticized the closure of a pharmaceutical unit belonging to a MMA MNA in Rawalpindi who had defeated Information Minister Sheikh Rashid in by-elections.

Speaking on the occasion, PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said the opposition had played an effective role in parliament during its first year, and would continue to do so until the country was put on democratic path.

He said the opposition wanted to change the system which had excluded the prime minister from the decision-making process in the matters of national importance, including foreign, internal and economic affairs.

Chaudhry Nisar said the LFO and the 1973 Constitution could not co-exist. “The ruling alliance should make up its mind and give up one of the two as it cannot operate two constitutions at the same time.”

Raja Parvez Ashraf of People’s Party Parliamentarians said the nation could be proud of the present opposition which had refused to bow before the dictatorial policies.

He said had there been a democratic dispensation in place the issues on which the opposition had been protesting would have been resolved much earlier.

MMA’s deputy parliamentary leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said a team of opposition MNAs held a meeting with Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain on Tuesday and apprised him of the opposition’s complaints over their representation in the standing committees.

The speaker, he claimed, had assured the opposition that he would review the formation of standing committees in the light of objections raised by the ARD and the MMA.

Hafiz Hussain said if the speaker did not remove the opposition’s complaints, it would withdraw names of its members from these committees.

He said the opposition had also informed the speaker that it sincerely wanted to take part in parliament business through these committees provided their constitution was based on the principle of justice and fair play.