ISLAMABAD, Sept 8: Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal Deputy Secretary-General Liaquat Baloch has said the government had been told that unless the Legal Framework Order is approved by a two-thirds majority by parliament, it cannot become part of the Constitution.

Briefing newsmen here at the parliament house about the Lahore meeting between the two sides, Mr Baloch explained the ambiguity created by some quarters on the issue of election of the president.

He said by advising the president to seek recourse to the electoral college, the Lahore meeting had actually asked him (Gen Musharraf) to contest the presidential election as he had sufficient majority to win the election.

The MMA leader insisted that the talks were held strictly within the parameters fixed by the committee headed by the National Assembly speaker and that no deviation was made at Lahore from these parameters.

He said S.M. Zafar had clearly stated at the joint briefing that the LFO would be brought to parliament in the shape of a bill, while PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat now said that the LFO was part of the Constitution.

The MMA team, he said, had recommended that the president’s discretionary powers must be used in consultation with the prime minister.

Speaking on the occasion, MMA deputy parliamentary secretary Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said S.M. Zafar as head of the consultative committee had announced before the press the portion of written recommendations clearly envisaging recourse to parliament for ending the deadlock.

Referring to Chaudhry Shujaat’s remarks after the Lahore meeting that the LFO was part of the Constitution and that the uniform issue had been settled, he said this was in clear negation of the points agreed at the meeting.

Hafiz Hussain said the MMA had made it clear to the government that the Lahore talks were final and the religious parties alliance would not engage in any further parleys on this subject.

The religious parties alliance along with the combined opposition would continue its protest till a constitutional package was brought to parliament, he said, adding the MMA would review its strategy after that.

Both Liaquat Baloch and Hafiz Hussain Ahmed were speaking at the combined opposition’s press conference which was held soon after the entire opposition had walked out of the National Assembly protesting against what it called irresponsible and slanderous attacks by the treasury benches on the opposition leadership.

The MMA asked the Jamali government to immediately convene a meeting of parliamentary party heads to finalize the recommendations on which the two sides had agreed at the Lahore meeting.

It also demanded that participation of all opposition parliamentary party heads must be ensured in the proposed meeting and the agenda of talks should be clearly stated.

The MMA claimed that the government side had promised in the Lahore meeting that the summit meeting would be convened within two-three days, but no invitation had been extended by the Prime Minister’s House to the parliamentary heads for the meeting even after a lapse of four days since the Lahore meeting.

MMA vice-president and parliamentary leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed said the government should declare before inviting the opposition parliamentary party heads that a constitutional package based on the LFO was to be prepared at the proposed meeting.

The opposition leaders said they had boycotted the house proceedings on Monday when it became apparent that the government had no legislative business to undertake except levelling slanderous and libelous charges against the opposition leadership.

Qazi Hussain said the objective of the combined opposition was one and the same— restoration of the sovereignty of parliament and upholding the sanctity of the Constitution which existed on Oct 11, 1999, before it was held in abeyance.

He declared that even after the achievement of the stated objectives vis-a-vis restoration of undiluted democracy, the MMA would not join the government and would remain part of the opposition to strengthen the foundations of democracy for the well-being of the nation.

In reply to a question, he said: “So far no invitation has been received for a meeting with Gen Musharraf and whenever such an invitation is extended, we will consider it.”

Earlier, talking to Dawn, the MMA leader expressed his optimism about the resolution of the constitutional crisis after the MMA-government agreement on the contentious points of the LFO, saying: “I am told that they (the government side) have conceded to the MMA demands on most of the issues.”

On the occasion, ARD’s parliamentary leader Javed Hashmi condemned police baton-charge outside the parliament house in which some press photographers also received injuries.

He alleged that the government had no legislative agenda and it was only encouraging some turncoats to hurl abuses on the opposition leaders during the NA proceedings. A decisive stage was arriving fast, he said, when the faces of those who were struggling for democracy and those who were playing anti-democratic role would be exposed before the nation.

Mr Hashmi said that in ARD’s view, a few generals including Gen Musharraf, Gen Aziz Khan and Gen Mehmud were involved in the abrogation of the Constitution and whenever the ARD would get a chance, it would try them under Article 6.