01 January 2005	Saturday	19 Ziqa'ad 1425

ISLAMABAD, Dec 31: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) chairman, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, on Friday said the ARD and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) had decided in principle to launch a movement on the uniform issue.

Talking to reporters at the PPP media centre, Mr Fahim said an ARD meeting had been called at Sukkur on January 2 where this issue would be raised and a final approval would be sought to chalk out a joint strategy to launch a combined struggle with the MMA for upholding the Constitution and restoration of democracy.

However, he said, the ARD workers would observe 'black day' on January 1 against President Gen Pervez Musharraf's 'breach of promise' on the uniform issue. "Our workers will wear black bands on their arms in protest against military rule on that day," he said.

Mr Fahim expressed the hope that the MMA would stick to its present stand and continue agitation against Gen Musharraf's decision to retain the army chief's office.

He said Maulana Fazlur Rahman had said the MMA would not accept Gen Musharraf as president if he did not take off his uniform by December 31 whereas the PPP and ARD were quite clear that they would oppose the general both as president and chief of army staff.

Responding to a question, the ARD chairman said Gen Musharraf had said he would not violate the Constitution but he should keep this thing in mind that he had already violated the 1973 Constitution under which he had taken oath of his office as chief of army staff.

Replying to another question about former senator Asif Ali Zardari's statements that 2005 would be the election year, Mr Fahim said keeping in view the prevailing situation, general elections were the need of the hour because the present parliament had become a rubber-stamp body which allowed the president to retain the office of army chief for three more years.