ISLAMABAD, May 3: The government has agreed to table the Legal Frame Work Order in the form of a bill in parliament for debate, Amir Jamaat-i-Islami Qazi Hussain Ahmed and central leader of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, said here on Saturday while speaking at a news conference.

“It is for the first time that the government has admitted to the LFO being a controversial document,” he said while responding to a question after the Jamaat’s Central Executive Committee.

He said that President Pervez Musharraf, even if he gave up his uniform, would have to get himself elected to the office in accordance with the procedure given in the Constitution.

“The situation in the country demands a full-time Chief of the Army Staff, therefore, General Musharraf should devote himself to the country’s defence.

“We think that the president should not have special powers under 58(2)b, and the proposed National Security Council should function under parliament,” he said.

To a question, he said the opposition was not giving any deadline to the President Musharraf to remove his uniform as he had already completed his three years as per the mandate given by Supreme Court.

“Now that the parliament is in place Gen Musharraf has no right to continue as president,” he said.

He said if General Musharraf accepted the sovereignty of parliament, the MMA would consider supporting his candidature for the post of president.

Qazi Husain further said that President Musharraf had himself conceded that one person should not hold both positions simultaneously, therefore, he should give up one post immediately.”

“Central Executive Committee of the JI condemned the US for declaring Hizbul Mujahidin as a terrorist organization and demanded the government should protest against US’s action,” Qazi Husain said.

The MMA termed the forthcoming visit of the US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage to Pakistan uncalled for because according to him the visit had been planned to put more pressure on Pakistan to commence dialogue with India on the issue of what New Delhi terms “cross-border terrorism”.

He demanded the government to ask the Indian government to stop brutalities in the held Kashmir before agreeing to fresh dialogue on Kashmir.

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