December 4, 2003	Thursday	Shawwal 8, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 3: Rejecting further talks with the government on the LFO, the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on Wednesday announced that it would hold a long march towards Islamabad if the proposed constitutional package was not presented in parliament by Dec 17.

Talking to newsmen after a meeting of the alliance’s steering committee, MMA’s parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Qazi Hussain Ahmed said the final date for the long march would be announced soon. MNAs Liaquat Baloch and Hafiz Hussain Ahmed were present.

The MMA leaders claimed that millions of people would reach the capital from all over the country and the government would not be able to resist the public pressure.

Mr Baloch said the MMA had finalized its protest plan and added that the date for the long march would be announced at one of the rallies to be held in different cities from Dec 18. He said the first such public meeting would be held in Dera Ghazi Khan.

Qazi Hussain Ahmed ruled out any meeting with President Gen Pervez Musharraf and said there was no need for his intervention in resolving the crisis. He asked Gen Musharraf to let politicians resolve the issues and keep himself away from politics.

The JI chief said there would be no round of talks with the government as all the matters had already been settled. “The government has no option but to place the agreed constitutional package before parliament by Dec 17,” he said and added that the MMA would not accept any change in the proposed package. He criticized the government for delaying the presentation of the package.

On the uniform issue, he said the MMA had set the Dec 31, 2004 deadline for complete restoration of the constitution and there was no mention of the uniform in the package. He pointed out that there would be no uniformed president when the constitution would be fully restored.

Mr Baloch said that on Dec 18, there would be a march from Dera Ghazi Khan to Muzaffargarh and added that public meetings would be held in towns and villages on the route.

A similar march would be held from Multan to Okara on Dec 19; from Sheikhupura to Sargodha on Dec 20; from Jacobabad to Larkana on Dec 26; from Sukkur to Hyderabad on Dec 27; and from Rawalpindi to Gujranwala on Dec 28.

He said public meetings would also be organized during these days at Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta. In the second phase, he added, rallies would be held in tribal areas.

He condemned the arrests of Allama Sajid Naqvi and ARD President Makhdoom Javed Hashmi and asked the government to release them immediately. He said the MMA would observe Friday as the protest day against the arrest of Allama Naqvi.