KARACHI, Nov 12: An emergency meeting of the supreme council of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has been convened by MMA President Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani in Karachi on Wednesday night to take a final decision on negotiations held with various political parties on matters of national importance after the Oct 10 elections.

Maulana Noorani, who will preside over the meeting at his residence after Taraveeh prayers, told PPI that the government had no right to say that political parties should reach an understanding before convening of the National Assembly session.

The MMA president emphasized that it was for the parties in the National Assembly to decide all matters on the floor of the House.

“We do not accept the Legal Framework Order given by President Gen Pervez Musharraf. An individual has no right to amend the Constitution. The procedure to amend the Constitution is by a two-third majority in the National Assembly,” he stated.

Maulana Noorani recalled that the LFO of 1970 had become “a hurdle in convening of the National Assembly session in Dhaka as well as transfer of power to the elected representatives.”

He demanded that in order to end the confusion, which has been created by the government, the National Assembly session should be convened without any delay so that the members take oath, followed by elections of speaker and leader of the House.

He contended that the MMA had nothing to do with the split mandate or a hung parliament. It is the government’s responsibility to convene the National Assembly’s session after holding of general elections.

The MMA‘s meeting will be attended by heads of all the component parties, including Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, Maulana Samiul Haq, Allama Sajid Naqvi and Prof Sajid Mir. — PPI