LAHORE, Nov 9: The ARD and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal are prepared to give indemnity to all acts of the military regime during the past three years, provided the army gives up power, returns to the barracks and restores the Constitution in the pre- takeover form, senior leader Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan said on Saturday.

“We are not vindictive people. Nobody will have any reservations about the indemnity,” he said while talking to Dawn.

He was asked how would it be possible for the military rulers to restore the Constitution in the form it was held in abeyance three years ago, as being demanded by the ARD and MMA.

Nawabzada said the military regime certainly needed indemnity for all its acts, as had been sought by the Zia regime in 1985. The ARD and MMA, he assured, would be willing to agree the same condition to facilitate the army to return to barracks.

Answering to a question, Nawabzada said so far Ms Benazir Bhutto had not declared Makhdoom Amin Fahim as her party’s candidate for the office of prime minister. Thus, he said, there was no possibility of the MMA candidate Maulana Fazlur Rehman of withdrawing in favour of Makhdoom. The JUI-F chief would contest the election for the top office, irrespective of the result, he said.

He said he had been authorized to hold talks and take a decision on the issue, but he had announced support for Maulana Fazlur Rehman after taking all ARD leaders into confidence.

He insisted that after the split mandate in the Oct 10 elections, only the MMA-ARD could give the country a stable government. He said since the Senate would be dominated by the nominees of these alliances it would still be more important that these parties were given the right to form government.

Asked about the contacts being made by the PPP and the MMA leaders with the PML-Q, the Nawabzada said there was no bar on such talks as long as the negotiators followed the laid down principles.

The MMA, he said, had made it clear to the PML-Q that it would not withdraw Maulana Fazlur Rehman as its candidate for the top office. Now, he said, talks were being held on the fate of the Legal Framework Order.

About the all-party conference he planned to hold to mount pressure on the regime for the transfer of power, the senior leader said it would be delayed for a few days because the political parties were engaged in the numbers game. Still, he was trying to hold it at the earliest possible.