December 25, 2003	Thursday	Ziqa’ad 1, 1424

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QUETTA, Dec 24: Balochistan nationalist parties on Wednesday accused the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal of having deceived the people, saying it had surrendered on the LFO issue, reneging on its pre-election promises.

Commenting on the government-MMA agreement, Sardar Akhtar Mengal, chief of Balochistan National Party (Mengal group) said that MMA had previously branded President Gen Pervez Musharraf illegal head of state, accusing him of getting himself elected through a referendum in violation of the Constitution.

But, he said, now the MMA had not only agreed to tolerate the president’s uniform but also agreed to indirectly endorse the military ruler’s staying in power negating the alliance’s own pre-election stand.

Akram Shah, central secretary-general of the Pukthunkhwa Milli Awami Party said that Dec 24, 2003 would be remembered as the darkest of days when MMA leadership bowed before the military dictator, accepting the LFO.

The MMA, he said, had committed a serious mistake by accepting the LFO, adding that it would lead to perpetuating martial law in the country and the MMA would applaud as a BPS-22 uniformed official addressed the joint session of parliament.

Dr Inyatullah Khan of the Awami National Party said that the MMA, which had been criticizing the president for supporting America and allowing the FBI to arrest people at will, would now divert the people’s attention by introducing Islamic laws.

He accused the MMA of having legitimized the president’s uniform by signing on the LFO agreement.

PML-N’s provincial leader Khuda Noor Khan termed the government-MMA agreement a victory for President Musharraf.

MMA’s Maulana Wasay, senior minister for planning and development, described the agreement as being in the interest of the people and democracy, saying bitter decisions had to be taken in crucial times adding MMA had succeeded in restoring parliament’s supremacy.