KARACHI, Nov 19: A central leader of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, has accused the government of fielding Ghulam Mustafa Khar with the assigned task of sabotaging the opposition’s upcoming ‘Musharraf Hatao Tehreek’.

The Hafiz, who is also Secretary General of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, also appeal to the Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Ms Benazir Bhutto to have trust in Makhdoom Amin Faheem and let him participate in the meetings of the united opposition.

He was briefing newsmen after an Iftar party hosted by the MMA President Allama Shah Ahmad Noorani at his residence in Clifton on Wednesday. The Iftar party was attended by a number of political leaders belonging to various parties.

In reply to a question, Hafiz Hussain Ahmad pointed out that whenever opposition parties planned a movement against the set up, the rulers always attempted to sabotage it. Now when the united opposition, after one year of efforts, has prepared the ground for a movement for the supremacy of the Constitution and parliament, Mustafa Khar has been assigned the task of Muk Muka between the government and the ARD.

Citing the Mr Khar’s background of changing parties and his attitude with his benefactors, the MMA leader asked him not to stab in the back of the Muttahida Opposition which, he said, was strivingfor the supremacy of the Constitution which was a non-controversial document.

The Hafiz declared that in spite of differences on details of the Legal Framework Order, all the opposition parties were unanimous on a single point that the government must table the agreed upon LFO bill in the National Assembly. He reiterated the MMA’s stance the LFO could be accepted as part of the Constitution only after its approval with two-third majority in the House.

When asked to justify the difference in the MMA’s policy towards the ruling PML-Q in Balochistan and NWFP on one side and at the Centre on the other, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said that LFO was a federal issue and the governments in the two provinces were quite clear on the subject. He clarified that lending support to the PML-Q in the two provinces could in no way be regarded as the MMA’s weakness.

Dispelling the impression that the MMA was against the Jamali government, he pointed out that the proposed LFO bill, which was agreed upon by the two sides, was drafted by Mr S. M. Zafar who belonged to the PML. The meeting where the draft was finalized was also attended by Prime Minister Mr Zafarullah Khan Jamali and the PML President Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain, besides MMA leaders, he added.

Both Mr Jamali and Mr Hussain had agreed and pledged to present the bill in the National Assembly, but the military leadership is blocking the move, the Hafiz said.

In reply to a question, he said that soon after the Nov 17 meetingof the MMA’s Supreme Council in Karachi, the Secretary General of the alliance, Maulana Fazlur Rehan flew to Islamabad and held a meeting with Makhdoom Amin Faheem, chief of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD), and apprised him of the MMA’s decisions.

He reiterated the MMA’s resolve to launch the nationwide movement for the removal of Gen Musharraf if the new LFO bill was not tabled in the National Assembly till Dec 18.

Hafiz Hussain Ahmad was confident that the Muttahida Opposition would extend its full support to the movement as MMA was in close contact with the ARD.