24 November 2004	Wednesday	11 Shawwal 1425

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ISLAMABAD, Nov 23: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy on Tuesday made the first top-level contact with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal aimed at cooperating with each other in their planned campaigns on the uniform issue , though a scheduled meeting between the two opposition alliances was delayed.

ARD president Makhdoom Amin Fahim rang up MMA secretary-general Maulana Fazlur Rehman and told him that since PML-N chairman Raja Zafrul Haq was out of the country and the PPP Parliamentarians was busy celebrating the release of Asif Ali Zardari, it would be prudent to delay their meeting for some time.

He also told the MMA leader that a fresh request would be made for the meeting. During the past couple of weeks, the MMA has intensified its tirade against President Pervez Musharraf's move to continue to be in his military uniform beyond Dec 31, 2004.

Talking to Dawn on Monday, MMA deputy secretary-general Liaquat Baloch said that MMA's Supreme Council had decided, in principle, that both Maulana Fazl and NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani would continue their boycott of the National Security Council.