SUKKUR, Feb 15: The parliament needs to hold a broad debate over the issue of Iraq and the government should not adopt a policy in this regard, which was against the wishes of the people of Pakistan.

This was stated on Saturday by the chief of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, Sindh, and the Amir of the Jamaat-i-Islami, Sindh, MNA Asadullah Bhutto, while talking to newsmen here.

Reiterating the MMA’s stand, Asadullah Bhutto said that discussing the issue of Iraq in the National Security Council would not be acceptable for the Alliance.

Stressing on the need for the Muslim Ummah to forge unity, Mr Bhutto said that internationally, the US was facing isolation and a stiff resistance in this regard, adding that it was only being supported by the United Kingdom.

He said that the United States was trying to press Pakistan, one of the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, for its support on the issue.

Describing the issue as being very sensitive, the MMA leader said that only the democratically-elected Parliament had the right to discuss the issue of threat of war against a Muslim country.

Mr Bhutto said that as the Legal Framework Order had not yet been ratified by the Parliament, therefore it was not the part of the Constitution, under which President Gen Musharraf wanted to debate the issue in the NSC.

He said that the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal would continue to struggle against the LFO, and would seek the cooperation of every political force inside and outside the Parliament over the issue.

He said that the worst horse-trading was being witnessed in the elections for the Senate, adding that this would further tarnish the image of the newly-introduced democracy.

The MMA, he said, was closely monitoring internal and external developments and it would not hesitate to launch a broad-scale movement to press for its demands.

Dispelling the impression of disunity among the ranks of the Alliance, he said that there was complete unanimity of views among the component parties of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on Iraq and other issues.