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| 11 June 2004 | Friday | 22 Rabi-us-Saani 1425 |
'In-house change to weaken democracy'
PESHAWAR, June 10: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman has warned that an in-house change will destabilize the existing democratic process in the country.
"It is time to further strengthen the system and to restore the 1973 Constitution in its original shape," he said. Speaking at Meet the Press programme at the Peshawar Press Club on Thursday, the opposition leader accused President Pervez Musharraf of issuing contentious statements on several issues.
"General Musharraf is himself creating a crisis to confuse the nation," he asserted, adding that he (Musharraf) was constitutionally bound to fulfil all provisions of the 17th Amendment.
According to the 17th Amendment, he said, President Musharraf had to take off his military uniform by the end of December 2004. He, however, acknowledged that the agreement between the government and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) did not discuss the uniform issue.
When asked if he being the leader of the opposition would take up his seat in the National Security Council (NSC), Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the supreme council of the MMA would decide whether or not to participate in the council meeting.
He said that a recent statement of President Pervez Musharraf had polluted the political environment, forcing the six-party religious alliance to review its line of action.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that Prime Minister Jamali despite being the chief executive of the country was totally helpless before the president. He denied that his election as opposition leader was part of a deal between the ruling party and the MMA.
He also denied that the MMA had helped President Musharraf secure the vote of confidence from the parliament. "My election as opposition leader is the victory of democratic forces," he insisted and asked the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) to end this debate or it would weaken the opposition.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman urged the Muttahida Qaumi Movement to accept the verdict of the chief election commissioner declaring results of the by-elections in three constituencies in Karachi as null and void.
Replying to a question he said that the government should exercise patience in Wana and handle the issue of foreigners' registration in the tribal area through negotiations.
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