ISLAMABAD, Nov 18: The combined opposition in parliament, the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD), the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) and other parties, have decided not to attend Saturday’s donors’ conference convened by the government and also not to join a proposed parliamentary body on relief and reconstruction headed by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.
The ARD and MMA took the boycott decision by mutual consultation, but wished the conference success.
However, Leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rahman, who is secretary-general of the MMA and head of his own faction of the JUI, has decided to attend the conference and present opposition’s point of view.
(According to an Online news agency report, NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani will also attend the conference.)
Maulana Fazl’s decision caused a stir in the already strife-stricken alliance of six religious parties and its president Qazi Hussain Ahmed strongly tried in vain to persuade him to go along with the joint decision.
The Maulana was not available for comments while Qazi Hussain said at a function in Rawalpindi: “The Maulana will attend donors’ conference in his capacity as leader of the opposition, and this will not alter the decision of the alliance.”
Two major components of the ARD, the PPP Parliamentarians and PML-N decided not to attend the conference on the ground that its organizers had not consulted them before planning it.
Raja Parvaiz Ashraf, secretary-general of the PPP, told Dawn that major components of the ARD were of the opinion that all decisions about earthquake relief and reconstruction had been taken by an individual, bypassing the parliament.
Asked if the alliance would also boycott the proposed parliamentary body, he said they would not join it unless its terms of reference were made clear.
The PPP lawmaker said his party stood by its demand that all collections and expenditures of the funds be discussed in parliament and decisions about plans be taken by parliament.
The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) said it would not attend the conference because the government had invited opposition leaders to be members of the audience and they would not be able to play any role in its deliberations.
The decision was taken at a meeting of PML-N leaders held on Friday with party chairman Raja Zafarul Haq in the chair.
