ISLAMABAD, Sept 7: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) on Tuesday submitted three more motions to the National Assembly Secretariat on the issues of Gen Pervez Musharraf's uniform and human smuggling.

ARD Parliamentary Secretary Izhar Amrohvi told Dawn that eight members of the alliance had moved a privilege motion against Gen Pervez Musharraf on his television interview in which he had given an indication that he would not shed his uniform by December 31, as was required by the Constitution.

He said the motions had been submitted under Rule 78 of the Rules and Procedures for the Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 1992, and it had been signed by Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Syed Qurban Ali Shah, Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Sherry Rahman, Naheed Khan and Tehmina Daultana.

The motion states: "The 17th Amendment in the Constitution was passed by the parliament and it became a part of the 1973 Constitution technically. In an interview to a private TV channel, Gen Pervez Musharraf said that there was no restriction constitutionally on him to put off his uniform by December 31, 2004. Since this condition was inducted in the Constitution by the parliament, any violation of it was an insult to the parliament and its members.

"The statement of Gen Pervez Musharraf is a breach of privilege of the parliament, the matter may, therefore, be referred to the Privileges Committee after discussion on the floor of the House."

Through another privilege motion, Mr Amrohvi said the ARD members had sought action against Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sheikh Rashid Ahmed for his similar statement on the issue of Gen Musharraf's uniform. He said the motion had been signed by Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Sherry Rahman and Khwaja Mohammad Asif.

It states: "The 17th Constitutional Amendment was passed and published in the gazette of Pakistan extraordinary dated December 31, 2003. It was very clear in Clause 2(1) of the amendment that paragraph (d) of Clause 1 of Article 63 shall become operative on and from the 31st day of December, 2004.

Since the aforesaid amendment was passed by the parliament, the minister for information, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, has deliberately issued a statement that the uniform of the COAS can be retained even after December 31, 2004 under the Constitution.

The statement is a breach of privilege rather an insult to the parliament which needs a discussion on the floor of the House before referring the matter to the Privilege Committee."

Mr Amrohvi said that the opposition would also raise the important issue of human smuggling in the light of the statement of former interior minister Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat. He said an adjournment motion under Rule 92 had been filed by eight members of the ARD seeking discussion on the issue.

The motion, he said, had been signed by Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Qamaruz Zaman Kaira, Zamurrad Khan, Khwaja Mohammad Asif, Khwaja Saad Rafiq, Naheed Khan and Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed.

The motion states that "the former interior minister has revealed in an interview that 90 per cent human smuggling to the UK and other countries was being done by recruiting agents of a Punjab district and adjoining areas having powerful backing of local politicians virtually rendering it impossible for him to take any action against them during his 21-month tenure.

The statement has created a serious concern amongst the nation and is certainly of urgent public importance which needs discussion on the floor of the house."