December 18, 2003	Thursday	Shawwal 23, 1424

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MULTAN, Dec 17: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal is all set to launch its anti-government movement from here on Thursday after the deadline set by it for the government to table the proposed constitutional amendment bill in parliament passed.

Speaking at a joint press conference here late Wednesday night after a meeting of the heads of the component parties, the MMA leaders, however, said there was still some time for the government to realize the ‘gravity of the situation’ and bring the bill agreed by the MMA and the government teams in parliament.

In reply to a question, JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman denied that the government had requested the alliance to postpone its protest campaign for 72 hours, saying: “We are not in contact with the government team.”

He said the supreme council meeting decided that Qazi Hussain Ahmed, the vice-president of the alliance, would remain the acting chief of the MMA till a consensus was reached among the component parties on the new president.

He said a decision in this regard had to be kept in pending to await the nomination of new chief of JUP-N which was due after the death of Allama Shah Ahmed Noorani.

Maulana Fazl said if the government did not bring the amended bill in parliament even after the first phase of the MMA protest drive the alliance would call other political parties to join hands and the movement would be taken to Sindh in the second phase of the protest.

He categorically stated that there was no chance that the MMA would give Gen Musharraf a vote of confidence. “It was not the part of our agreement with the government and the alliance will give a vote to the amended bill only if it is presented in parliament,” he added.

The JUI chief said the MMA and the ARD shared similar views on Gen Musharraf, though the two alliances had some differences over the Legal Framework Order. The ARD people had agreed to some parts of the LFO even without entering into negotiations, he asserted.

Maulana Fazl said an MMA motorcade would leave Multan on Thursday at 9am and the alliance leaders would address rallies on way to Dera Ghazi Khan at Muzaffargarh, Baseera and Chowk Qureshi.

He said at Dera Ghazi Khan a big rally would be held at the Liaquat Bazaar. On Dec 19, the MMA leaders would proceed from Multan to Okara through Khanewal, Mian Channu and Sahiwal.

Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Samiul Haq, K. M. Azhar, Allama Sajid Mir, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed and Liaquat Baloch were also present in the press conference.

Earlier, talking to newsmen on his arrival at the airport, MMA’s acting president Qazi Hussain Ahmed said the alliance would launch a movement to protest against the despotic rule of Gen Musharraf and his unpopular pro-American policies.

He said the MMA’s movement would go a long way in the country’s history as a struggle for the restoration of democracy and supremacy of parliament.