LAHORE, Aug 1: The deadlock between the government and the MMA on the Legal Framework Order persists as both sides are sticking to their respective points of view on some of the most contentious issues.

Speaking at a press conference in Mansura on Friday, MMA’s vice-president Qazi Husain Ahmed declared that the religious parties’ alliance would not cooperate with the government if it called a session of the National Assembly on Aug 4 without finalizing the constitutional package.

On the other hand, PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Husain reiterated that the LFO was part of the Constitution and steps taken thereunder were irreversible.

Talking to Dawn, he said Gen Musharraf’s uniform was a settled issue. However, Mr Shujaat started immediate efforts on Friday to have the Aug 4 NA session delayed if it had not already been notified. (According to a latest report the session has been called off. However, no official confirmation was available till our going to press).

The situation got complicated as Qazi Husain said that despite the MMA’s willingness to elect Gen Musharraf president, his term would start from the day he had taken over some two years back, and not from the day the assemblies chose him.

The PML-Q president said the government’s legal experts were of the view that there was no need for Gen Musharraf to get elected anew. However, he was optimistic that the two sides would reach some agreement on this issue of vital importance.

The MMA vice-president said that the alliance did not accept the LFO a part of the Constitution and the election of Gen Musharraf through referendum was not constitutionally valid.

This position, he said, meant that the religious parties wanted restoration of the Constitution in its October 1999 form which would be amended appropriately to validate various steps taken by Gen Musharraf during his three-year term.

Qazi said steps taken for the purpose of last year’s general elections would be validated by an amendment to be enforced retrospectively.

The MMA did not accept the National Security Council as a constitutional body. Instead, it could be set up through an act of parliament for a limited period and the bicameral legislature would have the authority to disband it through a simple majority.

The MMA’s point of view had been conveyed to the ruling party interlocutors with the hope that they would present a constitutional package in the next session of the National Assembly.

But Qazi regretted that a National Assembly session had been called for Aug 4, although there was no headway on the LFO controversy. “We’ll not cooperate with the government in such a situation. They should delay the session till consensus is evolved on the LFO,” the MMA leader said.

He said the MMA was in contact with the PPP and the PML-N leaders and the joint opposition would adopt a uniform line of action for the next session.

In response to a question, Qazi admitted that the ARD and the MMA had different points of view on electing Gen Musharraf president through assemblies.

“We will be reluctantly accepting Gen Musharraf as president to put the country on democratic track,” he said.

In response to a question, he said the MMA was trying to find a way out of the situation through talks as agitation, which was the alternative course, could provide some other general to exploit the situation.

Replying to another question, he said the MMA would hold its protest meeting in Rawalpindi on Aug 14, as scheduled. However, the alliance would welcome the ARD to participate in the same meeting.