September 03, 2007	Monday	Sha'aban 20, 1428

LAHORE, Sept 2: Dr Farooq Sattar, the deputy convener of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s central coordination committee, understands that the deadlock between the government and the PPP has surfaced on certain constitutional issues as the parties want to repeal some of its provisions.

“While Benazir Bhutto wants to remove the constraint of prime minister being elected for the third time, the president seeks the PPP support in removing the two-year constitutional restriction on his re-election while in the public office”, Dr Sattar told reporters at a news conference here on Sunday.

The MQM leader said an amendment to the 1973 Constitution to divest the president of powers to dissolve the Article 58 (2)(B) and taking off his uniform were the issues that had been resolved. Similarly, it was also decided that the president would take off his uniform and seek his re-election for another five-year term in the presidency from the assemblies established after the next parliamentary elections.

“The deadlock does not mean that talks have ended in futility; there seems to be only an intermission and the dialogue may resume after the government removes reservation that the ruling PML and the MQM have raised”, he said and added that a constitutional package would be prepared once the dialogue came to a successful end.

Dr Sattar said there were strong indications that the issue of Gen Musharraf’s uniform stood resolved as the government and the PPP leader had reached a broad understanding in this regard. As for the MQM, it was the only party in the ruling coalition which had reserved its decision about the issue because President Musharraf was still to inform his party about his decision of contesting for the presidency while retaining his army office.

“We will announce our decision only after the president’s formal contact with the MQM”, he added.

He also said the PML and the MQM had shown their reservations about the details coming in the wake of the talks, particularly Ms Benazir Bhutto’s demand for the dissolution of the existing local councils.

Referring to his talks with PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Husain and the meeting of the government team with MQM chief Altaf Husain in London, he said both the coalition partners had informed the government about their qualms and “we have been assured that our doubts will be taken care of while concluding a settlement with the PPP leader”.

FIRST CHOICE: In reply to a question, Dr Sattar said the MQM’s first choice for political partnership after the 2002 elections was the PPP. The MQM negotiated with the PPP for 15 days and when the response from Dubai (from Ms Bhutto) came in negative, the party opted to go with the regime as a ‘second option’.

However, he said, the coalition was working satisfactorily as the partners had taken the MQM into confidence on important issues.

He said neither the Canadian government nor any of its courts had passed strictures against the MQM or Altaf Husain. He also said the question of the return home of Altaf Husain would be decided by the MQM’s central coordination committee.

JOIN MQM: At the outset, Naveed Khan, an official of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf from Mansehra, announced his joining of the MQM. About 25 other political activists, most of who were said to be local leaders of the PPP, also joined the MQM along with two from the PML-N. Dr Sattar welcomed them.