December 2, 2003	Tuesday	Shawwal 7, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 1: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy is still undecided about launching of a movement against the military regime with or without the cooperation of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, sources told Dawn here on Monday.

The sources said though the ARD leadership had almost made up its mind to launch the movement without Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s cooperation, it would announce the final decision in this regard only after having a formal meeting with the leadership of the religious alliance.

They said ARD Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim had already arrived in the capital to hold talks with the component parties of the alliance and the MMA leaders.

When contacted, a People’s Party Parliamentarian spokesman said the ARD would like to seek clarification from the MMA leaders regarding reports that it had agreed to support the government in bringing an amendment to the Constitution under which Gen Pervez Musharraf would be required to seek a vote of confidence from parliament and the four provincial assemblies.

He said the statements of Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Mr Liaquat Baloch that the package would be presented before parliament by Dec 17 showed that the government and the MMA had reached an understanding over the issue of the Legal Framework Order and the president’s uniform.

The Jamaat-i-Islami chief’s statement that the proposed constitutional package would jointly be launched by the MMA and the government had further agitated the ARD, he said, and added that it was MMA’s departure from its earlier stand that the government would table the constitutional package.

He further said that the ARD was determined to launch a forceful movement against the military government. “However, it is yet to be decided as to when this movement will be launched.”

Despite change in the MMA’s behaviour and clear indications that the religious alliance had reached an understanding with the government on the LFO issue, he said, the ARD would like to adopt a wait-and-see policy before announcing the movement.

Meanwhile, ARD Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim talked to the deputy parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N in the National Assembly, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, by telephone soon after his arrival in the capital on Monday, said a source.

According to the source, both the leaders discussed the prevailing political situation in the country with particular reference to the change in the MMA behaviour.

They said the two leaders would hold a one-to-one meeting in a day or two to discuss future strategy regarding launching of the protest movement against the military regime and future relations with the MMA.

Mr Fahim informed Chaudhry Nisar about his recent meeting with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in Madina.

The two leaders also discussed the plan for convening an all-parties conference (APC) of the opposition parties before launching a mass movement against the military regime.

The sources said the APC would likely be convened in the third week of December and the venue would be announced soon.

Meanwhile, PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan will speak at a news conference at the party’s camp office here on Tuesday.