ISLAMABAD, Dec 30: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) decided on Tuesday to observe a countrywide black day to protest against the inclusion of the Legal Framework Order (LFO) in the Constitution, and vowed to continue its struggle for the supremacy of parliament.

The decision was announced by ARD Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim and Pakistan Muslim League-N acting parliamentary leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan while briefing mediapersons after a meeting of the heads of the component parties of the 15-party alliance.

Mr Fahim said the black day would be observed on the day General Musharraf would seek an “illegal” vote of confidence from the Senate and assemblies, adding that the ARD had reports that the vote would be sought on Thursday.

The ARD chairman also announced a public meeting in Dera Ismail Khan on Jan 11 in connection with the alliance’s mass contact drive against the military presidency and the LFO.

About the forthcoming Saarc summit, the ARD chief said the alliance had decided to boycott every government-sponsored function.

“We are sad today as a new chapter is being added in the country’s constitutional history,” Mr Fahim said about the Constitution (Seventeenth Amendment) Bill passed by both houses of parliament despite the ARD boycott of voting.

He said the ARD was consistent on its stand that no individual had the right to amend the Constitution. When the government tabled the bill, he ad-

ded, it became clear that the amendment was being made in the LFO and not the Constitution.

Criticising the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) for joining hands with the government to pass the amendment bill, he said, the alliance of six Islamic parties had violated the pledge they had made to the people at the so-called “million marches” and public meetings.

The MMA itself had parted ways with the joint opposition by accepting the LFO and had taken a “complete U-turn” by accepting Gen Musharraf as president in uniform, his discretionary powers under Article 58-2(b) and the creation of a National Security Council, the ARD chairman said. Now the ARD “is the real and genuine opposition” in parliament, he stressed.

Mr Fahim condemned the government for not producing arrested ARD president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi and PML-N MNA Chaudhry Abid Sher Ali in the National Assembly during the debate on the bill despite protests by the opposition, and said the government feared harsh criticism by the two arrested MNAs.

Chaudhry Nisar said Gen Musharraf had been ruling the country on gunpoint for the past four years and again he had got his LFO passed from the parliament on “gunpoint”.

He pointed out that the MMA leaders had accepted General Musharraf in uniform after raising slogans of “go Musharraf, go” and “no LFO, no”.

He said while the MMA had agreed to “all conditions” of the government it should have forced the regime to table the whole LFO in the assembly.

About accepting Gen Musharraf in uniform for one year, the PML-N leader asked the MMA as to how an illegal act could become legal for a certain period of time.

He said the ARD was a majority opposition group both in the National Assembly and the Senate and its candidates should be appointed as opposition leaders in the two houses.

PML-N Senator Ishaq Dar, Tehmina Daultana, Khawaja Saad Rafiq and Nawabzada Mansoor Ahmed Khan were also present on the occasion.