ISLAMABAD, Oct 4: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) is planning to raise the issues of President Gen Pervez Musharraf's uniform, Wana operation and law and order situation in the country in the National Assembly session
beginning on Friday, sources told Dawn on Monday.
The president has summoned the 22nd session of the National Assembly on Oct 8 at 5pm. The session is expected to continue till October 26 as the National Assembly is required to meet for another 19 days to complete the mandatory 130 days required for the assembly to be in session in a calendar year.
According to the sources, the ARD had already submitted various adjournment motions on Wana operation and law and order situation in the country. The sources said the opposition was planning to hold a strong protest inside and outside parliament on the uniform issue because of the fact that it could be the last session before Dec 31, 2004, the deadline for Gen Musharraf to give up his uniform according to the 17th Amendment.
They said the opposition members were reviewing various options to register their protest on the uniform issue. One such proposal, they said, was to stage a sit-in outside the Parliament House on any day during the session.
As the government had rejected adjournment motions on Wana and uniform issues in the last session, the opposition members submitted fresh motions on the issue.
According to the sources, members of the People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-N and Balochistan National Party have submitted two adjournment motions on incidents in which nine soldiers were killed in two different attacks in South Waziristan area on Sept 27 and 28.
The motions have demanded discussion on the ongoing Wana operation in the wake of recent incidents in which army had to suffer casualties. In the motions, the ARD members have termed the situation "very dangerous" in tribal areas and demanded a discussion on the floor of the house.
