ISLAMABAD, Oct 13: The combined opposition, especially the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy’s parliamentary group, on Monday hinted at intensifying its year-long protest against the Legal Framework Order inside the parliament.

Speaking at a news conference here, new ARD chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim said the alliance would stick to its stand against the LFO, which, he said, was illegal so long as it was not approved by a two-thirds majority of parliament.

“This government is not capable of getting the approval of two-thirds majority of the parliament on constitutional amendments and ultimately (the government) will have to pack up and go back home,” he said.

The president of the People’s Party Parliamentarians said the people’s problems cannot be resolved if the 1973 Constitution was not made operative.

Criticizing the government for allegedly failing to protect the people’s life and its inability to arrest the killers MNA Maulana Azam Tariq, he said while the country was insecure on its borders with Afghanistan and India, the foreign policy had miserably failed.

ARD president Javed Hashmi said completion of one year of the assembly on October 10 had amply proved that it was created only to defend army generals’ rule.

Mr Hashmi said the ARD had unanimously decided to intensifying its protest campaign, adding that the strategy in this regard would be finalised after discussions with the Muttahida Majli-i-Amal.

Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, deputy parliamentary leader of the PML-N, said President Musharraf and Prime Minister Jamali had spent millions of dollars on their recent US visits but immediately afterwards, India and Israel had signed a billion- dollar arms deal, disturbing the regional balance of power.

Makhdoom Shah Mehmud Qureshi of the PPP lashed out at a recent decision of the Punjab government to give Rs2.5 million development funds to union councils agreeing to organize the PML in their respective areas.