09 September 2004	Thursday	23 Rajab 1425

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 8: The opposition has sharply reacted to views expressed by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in an interview about president's army uniform and described it as a statement of a person who in its view has been installed illegally and undemocratically.

The prime minister on a private TV channel interview said: "Today, the president of Pakistan is the head of armed forces of Pakistan and he is there legally, and I have full faith that whatever decision he will take it will be according to the constitution and law."

Efforts have already started for bringing together the whole opposition on the one point agenda of forcing Gen Musharraf to retire from the army by appointing a new COAS before Dec 31, 2004, to fulfil the requirement of Article 63(1)d of the 17th Constitutional Amendment.

The combined opposition is likely to chalk out a unified strategy against efforts being made by some politician to persuade the president not to relinquish his COAS post by the appointed date, sources said on Wednesday.

The sources said that high-level contacts were being made to put together a united forum of the opposition parties in the National Assembly, including the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy, the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and other groups.

MMA Secretary-General Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is also leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, is likely to meet ARD Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim and Acting President Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in next couple of days.

The MMA has convened its parliamentary party meeting at 4pm on Friday just before the National Assembly session to finalize its strategy of tackling the treasury members on the controversy of army uniform.

Besides, Liaquat Baloch and Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, two senior MMA leaders, have also been tasked by the religio-political alliance to establish contacts with the ARD leadership to create understanding to give the government a tough time in the coming session of the National Assembly, sources said.

Talking to Dawn by telephone, MMA President Qazi Hussain Ahmed said, "All these people, including President Musharraf and Premier Aziz have come to the helm through misuse of COAS's uniform."

He said, "So far, Gen Musharraf has ruled the country through dictatorial methods and the present government is not the creation of a democratic process." Hence, he maintained, those who were making hue and cry against president's abiding by the constitutional provision to shed his army chief's uniform were, in fact, "well aware that they cannot live politically without the umbrella of the army chief".

He claimed that all those who were afraid of losing government jobs and perks which they had got by virtue of their support to Gen Musharraf would be lost if he no more remained army chief.

Mr Ahmed said that besides being political sycophants these people were also required by the NAB and were more scared not to let the present arrangement go. He, however, denied that there was any written agreement signed between the government and the MMA apart from the 17th Amendment which was passed by the religious alliance's numerical support.

Apart from the requirement of Article 63(1)d, MMA chief said the president could not retain the office of COAS because he was under oath not to take part in politics as an army officer.

He warned that if Gen Musharraf defied the implementation of constitutional provision by the deadline given by the 17th Amendment, the combined opposition would adopt a joint strategy against him.

Raja Parvaiz Ashraf, Secretary-General of the People's Party Parliamentarians, termed the advice to president to retain his uniform as ill-timed and unfortunate since it had come from politicians like the chief minister of Punjab and ministers.

He said the opposition would chalk out its combined strategy before going into NA session on Friday and might take a decision on facing the challenge from Gen Musharraf. So far as prime minister's suggestion was concerned, he said that he had no alternative before him but to remain under the shelter of a uniformed president.