LAHORE, Sept 21: PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain indicated on Sunday that the constitutional package approved by the cabinet was not the final word and could be amended to the satisfaction of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal to take the alliance on board.

The ruling party chief said conflicting statements had been attributed to various MMA leaders in newspapers on Sunday, some of them pouring scorn on the package and others acknowledging progress on some points with optimism to reach a settlement on the rest.

“We are willing to hold further talks to resolve differences on the points the MMA wants to take up,” Chaudhry Shujaat said while talking to Dawn.

He said the MMA leadership had been conveyed that if did not agree with any of the draft provisions, it could be discussed afresh and amended. Once the two sides settled all differences, an agreed draft would be prepared by constitutional experts of the two sides which would be brought to parliament, he elaborated.

Referring to reports that the MMA was planning to launch a movement against President Gen Pervez Musharraf, he said such a step would be regarded as a move against the armed forces and the nation would not support it.

In reply to a question, he said the government would continue to run parliament, no matter the MMA cooperated with it or not. The legislative business, he added, was being carried out already.

The government would not be intimidated by opposition’s obstructive methods, he asserted.

When his attention was invited to Pir Pagara’s claim that the unification of various factions of the PML might be a step towards early general elections, the PML chief said he did not agree with the opinion. He said it was only a principled decision that all factions should unify.

He said if parties were unified without meeting the legal requirements, their members of assemblies might have to face complications. Some people, he pointed out, were of the opinion that in such an eventuality they would be regarded as independents.

Chaudhry Shujaat said since he had been accepted president by all PML factions, he had asked constitutional experts to look into the matter. Office-bearers for various tiers, he said, would be nominated in the light of the advice to be given by experts.