MULTAN/OKARA, Dec 19: MMA leaders Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Maulana Fazalur Rehman toughened their stand against President Gen Pervez Musharraf on the second day of their protest drive in their addresses to public gatherings at various places on their way to Okara from Multan on Friday.

They made it clear that the six-party religio-political alliance would not support the policies of Gen Musharraf even if the government agreed to bring what was being described as the ‘joint constitutional amendment bill’ to the parliament.

Riding high after scoring the ‘tactical victory’ on the first day of their protest drive when the government called Hafiz Hussain Ahmed and Liaquat Baloch to Islamabad after providing them a special plane at Dera Ghazi Khan for the resumption of dialogue over the Legal Framework Order, Qazi and Maulana reminded Gen Musharraf that only a few days before he had tried to belittle the then scheduled MMA protest in a statement he issued in Quetta that he was least bothered about the movement.

The MMA convoy led by its acting chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed and secretary-general Maulana Fazalur Rehman left Multan for Okara at about 11am. The alliance leaders addressed a small gathering at Khanewal’s Sanglawala Chowk and demanded ownership rights for Peerowal farm tenants.

At Mian Channu, activists of the component parties welcomed their leaders at T Chowk where the latter also made brief speeches and then proceeded for Chichawatni.

On their way to Chichawatni, they were accorded warm welcome at Iqbal Nagar and Kasowal. The MMA leaders addressed a sizeable gathering at Chichawatni and pledged that they would struggle for the restoration of constitution, supremacy of the parliament and the Islamic identity of the country.

The MMA convoy was received warmly in Harrapa and Sahiwal before reaching Okara. At Okara, the MMA leaders addressed a big public rally organized at Depalpur Chowk of the town near GT Road.

Speaking on the occasion, Maulana Fazalur Rehman said that the amendments made by ‘one-man’ through the LFO could not be accepted as part of the constitution. He said in 1970 when the country had no constitution, the then military dictator had tried to transfer power through the LFO and consequently the country had to lose half of its territory. “The situation at present isn’t different,” he asserted.

He said the MMA leadership had full confidence in their representatives engaged in negotiations with the government in the federal capital but the general did not have confidence in any body whether he was Chaudhry Shujaat or S M Zafar. He warned that any further delay in resolving the constitutional impasse would prove catastrophic for the country.

The JUI chief said that it had been agreed upon in the proposed constitutional bill that the suspended articles of the constitution about the office of president would be restored and then, of course, the general would have to choose between his uniform or the presidency. He said even if the general shed his uniform, he would have to seek support from the electoral college envisaged in the constitution for the presidentship.

“Becoming president through referendum is of no value,” he added. Qazi Hussain Ahmed termed the president a ‘usurper’ of the people’s democratic rights who had trampled the constitution. Criticizing Gen Musharraf over his recent statement on the Kashmir issue, he said the general had no right to offer withdrawal from the UN resolution on Kashmir.

“He is an illegitimate president who does not enjoy people’s support,” he maintained.

Demanding ownership rights for the tenants of the Okara military farms, he said the army was palying the role of a colonial master at the farms. He warned of a long march towards Islamabad if the government did not table the agreed constitutional package in the parliament.