April 13, 2007	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 24, 1428

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ISLAMABAD, April 12: The People’s Party Parliamentarians on Thursday declared the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) as “untrustworthy” and ruled out any possibility of cooperation between the two opposition alliances in future.

“We are not ready to trust the MMA at all and cannot join them in any protest movement,” said PPP secretary-general Raja Pervez Ashraf and information secretary of the party’s Punjab chapter, Farzana Raja, while speaking at a news conference at the PPP media centre here.

Mr Ashraf alleged that it was the MMA which had imposed a military general on the nation by extending its support to the government in the passage of the 17th constitutional amendment only to save their two provincial governments and to get the office of the opposition leader in the National Assembly.

“The whole opposition was united in opposing the Legal Framework Order (LFO) of General Musharraf, but it was the MMA which stabbed it from back,” he alleged.

The PPP leader said the nation could not forget the past of the MMA leaders who were directly responsible for the present crisis being faced by the country.

He said the MMA leaders through their acts had proved that they could not be trusted.

He said that first they announced to quit the Balochistan government after the murder of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, then said that they would resign from the National Assembly in protest against the passage of the Women Protection Bill and recently they had announced to boycott the proceedings of the National Assembly.

However, he said, the MMA leaders did not implement any of the decisions.

Mr Ashraf also flayed MMA chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed for his criticism on the PPP over the reports of a possible deal with the regime.

“Qazi Sahab should know that the PPP never accepted ministries under military ruler General Ziaul Haq,” he said in his obvious hint to the Jamaat-i-Islami’s past decision of supporting the general.

He said the MMA leaders always joined the present members of the Musharraf’s cabinet in criticizing the PPP.

Mr Ashraf refuted all reports regarding any deal between the PPP and the regime.

He said the federal ministers themselves claimed that the deal was about to be signed with the PPP and then they themselves denied such reports.

He said that Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed had even made a claim that the deal would be finalised in three days.

Mr Ashraf said the PPP leaders and activists would be present outside the Supreme Court building under the leadership of party president Makhdoom Amin Fahim to express solidarity with Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and the protesting lawyers.Replying to a question, Mr Ashraf said the PPP could hold protest together with the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) on Friday, but not with the MMA.