ISLAMABAD, May 19: The Pakistan Muslim League-N has accused the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) of hatching a conspiracy against the democracy by entering into a deal with the ruling coalition in order to allow Gen Pervez Musharraf to stay in uniform even after December 31.

Talking to reporters after a meeting of the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the PML-N here on Wednesday, former federal minister Syed Zafar Ali Shah claimed that under the 17th Constitutional Amendment, Gen Musharraf was not bound to remove his uniform by December 31, 2004, as claimed by the MMA.

The PML-N leader asked Qazi Hussain Ahmed to read Article 254 of the Constitution before talking about Article 63 which dealt with the disqualification of a person from contesting an election. Quoting Article 254, he stated, if Gen Musharraf would not remove his uniform by December 31 deadline, then this act could not be declared illegal.

Article 254 states: "Failure to comply with requirement as to time does not render an act invalid. When any act or thing is required by the Constitution to be done within a particular period and it is not done within that period, the doing of the act or thing should not be invalid or otherwise ineffective by reason only that it was not done within that period."

The PML-N leader predicted that the government would try to take advantage of this article for face saving as Gen Musharraf would not remove his uniform. When asked if there was a possibility that the government had trapped the MMA, he said, it was not possible.

"The MMA has signed the deal with the PML-Q, knowing all intentions of the government," he said. He said the MMA had paved the way for a perpetual martial law in the country by supporting the government in the passage of the 17th Amendment Bill.