December 10, 2003	Wednesday	Shawwal 15, 1424

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

ISLAMABAD, Dec 9: Pakistan Muslim League-N will participate in the debate on the Legal Framework Order when the proposed constitutional package is presented before parliament.

Acting parliamentary party leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said while talking with journalists here at the party’s camp office on Tuesday.

“We will take part in the proceedings as the LFO is being brought to parliament on our demand and we will not provide an open field to the government”, said the PML-N leader.

Chaudhry Nisar said final strategy in this regard would be devised at the party’s central working committee meeting on Wednesday besides revising it again after reviewing the contents of the proposed package.

He said it remained to be seen whether the government brought entire LFO to parliament or only some parts of it.

The PML-N leader said that he had some indications that the government intended to call the National Assembly session soon. “It will be a historic session and the PML-N will play its political, constitutional and democratic role and there will be no compromise on principles”, he said.

He said the basic character of the constitution could not be changed even with the consent of a two-third majority in parliament, adding that the LFO tended to mutilate the very basis of the constitution. “The PML-N will not participate in the crime of mutilating the 1973 Constitution”, he added.

He urged to the MMA leadership not to compromise on principles. He said politicians should not think about providing a safe passage to the army rulers as due to such practices in the past, the army now intended to acquire a permanent role in the government. “We believe that 58-2(B), a president in (military) uniform and National Security Council cannot prevent future military interventions,” he added.

Chaudhry Nisar said that MMA leader Liaquat Baloch had informed him that no deal had been struck between the government and the alliance. He urged the MMA not to provide a constitutional cover to an “illegal and unconstitutional” regime. He said a meeting of the leaders of the combined opposition was scheduled to be held on Tuesday, but it had been postponed for a few days on the request of PPP president Makhdoom Amin Fahim.

He also expressed the hope that the speaker and the government would bring his party’s parliamentary leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi to the assembly in the crucial NA session. He criticized the government for fighting a court battle against Mr Hashmi on “false” charges. He also condemned the government for registering a case against party activists who had gathered outside a court in Islamabad on Monday to see their leader Javed Hashmi.

PAK-INDIA RELATIONS: Chaudhry Nisar said it was a matter of great concern for the nation that the military government in the past four years had withdrawn from several important strategic posts. He said those behind the Kargil war were busy in making preparations to receive the Indian prime minister. He said Pakistan had accepted all conditions set by India for normalization of relations.

The PML-N leader said it was India’s demand that there should be confidence-building measures first and the Kashmir issue should come at number two. He said by announcing unilateral ceasefire in Kashmir, the Pakistan government had facilitated India in fencing the borders.

GUANTANAMO BAY: Chaudhry Nisar also demanded of the regime to take up with the US the issue of Pakistani nationals languishing in prison at Guantanamo Bay. He said the UK and Australian governments had gotten their citizens released from there but the Pakistan government was silent on the issue. He asked the human rights activists, mediamen, lawyers and politicians to play their due role in this regard.