ISLAMABAD, July 3: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rahman has said that decisions taken by the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy in London on Sunday, without holding consultations with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, may prove counter-productive in the prevailing circumstances.

Talking to newsmen in his Parliament House chamber on Monday, the Maulana said none of the decisions taken at a joint opposition meeting held at the residence of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in Islamabad last month were reflected in the ARD’s London documents. In that meeting, he said, a consensus had emerged to mount pressure on the regime by holding big rallies, which would have taken a decisive turn with a call to march on Islamabad.

He said the proposed joint struggle by the opposition might fizzle out without achieving its objectives as the deadline given to the Musharraf regime to step down was not achievable without a practical struggle. He said the opposition lacked the required strength in parliament to impeach the president or to adopt a no-confidence motion against the prime minister.

He said that while the MMA had been struggling both inside and outside parliament against the government, the ARD had remained confined to parliamentary agitation for the past four years and it had failed to go to the masses.

He expressed disappointment over the decisions taken by the ARD and said they gave an impression of the leadership’s indecisiveness.

It would have been far better if the decision of forming a grand political alliance had been taken after consultation with the MMA, he said.

The MMA leader, however, said talks on cooperation with the ARD would continue and efforts for a grand alliance would not be abandoned.

He said there was consensus among all opposition parties that President Pervez Musharraf would not be allowed to seek re-election from the present assemblies and all options, including resigning from the assemblies, would be used at an appropriate time.

He denied that the MMA was involved in negotiations with the government on the issue of educational qualification of parliamentarians.

He said although the MMA had recently decided to launch a public mobilisation campaign while keeping the option of resigning from the assemblies open, the timing selected by the Jamaat-i-Islami in this regard was its own decision. He maintained that success in politics depended on playing right cards at the right time.