LAHORE, Dec 4: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) on Thursday refused to withdraw its protest plan unveiled on Wednesday, though the ruling party assured the religious alliance of complying with the agreement reached at between the two parties a couple of months ago in Lahore talks.

Sources said PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Husain during his meetings with MMA leaders Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Liaquat Baloch and Hafiz Hussain Ahmad in Lahore and Islamabad on Thursday tried to convince them not to make preparations for holding protest rallies and taking out processions to step up pressure on the government for tabling the LFO in parliament.

But the MMA leadership made it clear to the PML-Q president that the alliance would implement its plan. “If the government accepts our demand by Dec 17, the protest movement will be turned into a mass-contact drive,” the sources quoted Qazi Hussain as telling Shujaat Hussain.

The MMA has planned to hold at least 100 rallies daily in small and big towns of the country.

The ruling party chief told the religious bloc leaders that the delay in the implementation of the Lahore agreement had been caused owing to his visit abroad for medical treatment. But now the government was ready to table the constitutional bill drafted by Senator S.M. Zafar in consultation with the MMA leaders, he said.

According to the sources, Chaudhry Shujaat made yet another abortive attempt to persuading the MMA leadership into meeting with Gen Pervez Musharraf before moving the bill in parliament.

But the religious bloc refused, saying that it would not be in the “interest of mutual relations”. They also declined to further discuss the LFO issue, saying that the credibility of the religious alliance was at stake as people had begun doubting MMA’s sincerity in resolving the problem due to prolonged talks.

Chaudhry Shujaat had called on Gen Musharraf and Prime Minister Jamali before meeting with the MMA leaders.

Meanwhile, the JI has convened meetings of district, tehsil and zonal office-bearers for intensifying the likely protest drive from Dec 18.

The office-bearers of southern Punjab will meet in Multan on Dec 10, of central Punjab in Lahore on Dec 12, and of northern Punjab in Islamabad on Dec 13, to devise strategy for the protest drive.