ISLAMABAD, June 10: The hopes for a government-opposition patch-up were dashed on Tuesday when the combined opposition linked its returning to parliament to a decision on the LFO issue in the parliamentary party heads’ meeting to be convened by Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali.

Earlier on Monday, the combined opposition had linked ending of its protest with the convening of this meeting, as promised by the government after the 11-member government- opposition committee report was prepared.

After a meeting between Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain-led government team and the opposition leaders, there were reports that the prime minister might convene the parliamentary party heads meeting at the shortest possible notice.

The MMA leaders Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed and Liaqat Baloch, who left for Sargodha to address an elections rally at night, apparently waited for a message from the government side before leaving in the afternoon, the alliance sources said.

Meanwhile, PML (Q) president and its parliamentary leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, while defending President Musharraf’s act of retaining the COAS office, queried: “What was wrong, and whose interests would be hurt if the president continued to wear the army uniform?”

He said the MMA leadership’s claim that presidential team was devoid of authority, was exposed today as they added more conditions after being assured that the PM would convene the promised meeting.

Talking to Dawn at the parliament house cafeteria he warned the opposition against continuation of political deadlock as, in his opinion, it would be dangerous for the country and the politicians, and President Musharraf will not be held responsible for a debacle.

The PML chief said it was not true that the presidential team lacked authority while talking to the opposition as was alleged by the MMA leaders.

Answering a question whether the very system given by the LFO could be wound up if the present stalemate continued, he said: “I don’t think such an extreme step would be contemplated.”

When asked about opposition’s stand on superior court’s judges, the PML leader refused to answer, saying “don’t try to involve us in judges tangle.”

He said whether opposition participates in the debate or not the budget would be passed by a majority.

Asked as to why his party was supporting the LFO, a set of amendments made by an individual in the Constitution, Shujaat said the Supreme Court, which was empowered to interpret the Constitution, had allowed Gen Musharraf to effect amendments to the Constitution.

The combined opposition in the lower and upper houses of parliament challenged the prime minister to tell as to who had summoned the meeting between the MMA top leaders and himself on the night of Friday (June 6) and where had it taken place.

The prime minister, it may be recalled, had claimed that he had held a night-long meeting with the MMA leadership to end the deadlock at the prime minister’s house.

MMA’s Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said if the prime minister proved that the meeting was held at the prime minister’s house on the said night he will resign, and should he fail, then he must step down.

The MMA leader said the opposition would mull over moving a privilege motion against the prime minister for telling the upper house “a lie.”

Maulana Fazlur Rahman said: “We are convinced that the solution of the LFO issue was more important than the budget debate since the budget, in any case, was to be passed.” He warned that the LFO of 1971 had dismembered Pakistan and if we failed to resolve the LFO of 2003 it will also amount to endangering the solidarity of the country.

Prof Khurshid Ahmed said the armed forces were unnecessarily engaged in political matters and all of us must work together to save the army and the country. He said there was question of legitimacy which we wanted to resolve once and for all.

PML (N)’s Javed Hashmi said that never in the past 17 years the opposition had been able to stop passage of budget presented by the sitting government, and the present budget would also be passed any way as under Schedule 6, the powers of final approval lie with the president.

Senator Mian Raza Rabbani said: “The budget session of the Senate was illegal and unconstitutional as it was convened by amending article 73 of the 1973 Constitution which stipulated that the budget will be originated and passed in the lower house.

He said in our opinion since the LFO had no constitutional status this Senate session was also unconstitutional.