ISLAMABAD, May 19: The joint government-opposition constitutional committee on Monday concluded its two-week-long deliberations on the Legal Framework Order without reaching a consensus or finalizing a constitutional package to be presented to parliament for approval.
National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain, who presided over the meetings, will now finalize a report by May 23 in the light of proposals submitted by the committee members and submit it to the prime minister.
The committee, which was constituted last month, began its deliberations on May 2 and held ten sittings.
A member of the committee, who requested anonymity, described the deliberations as an exercise in futility as members from both the sides remained poles apart on basic issues.
For instance, he said, the government side continued to insist that the LFO had become part of the Constitution, while the opposition strongly opposed the claim. “Neither the government side showed any flexibility on the president’s discretionary powers to appoint services chiefs, nor any agreement could be reached on the appointment and retirement age of superior court judges,” he said.
On the National Security Council it was agreed that it should come into being through an act of parliament but there were sharp differences on its composition as the opposition expressed reservations on the inclusion of all the services chiefs, it was further revealed.
Senator S.M. Zafar, who represented the PML-Q in the committee, admitted that the committee had failed to make any breakthrough. He, however, stated the final report which would be submitted to the prime minister would make the task of Mr Jamali easier.
He said the meeting agreed that the offices of the president and the Chief of the Army Staff should be separated but no time-table for doing this could be agreed upon.
Responding to newsmen’s queries, Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain said the committee had completed its task in accordance with its terms of reference. He said every effort was being made to give stability to the new government.
A senior MMA leader, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, while giving his impressions about the committee’s deliberations, said in his view it would help defuse the prevailing crisis. The final decision, he said, would be taken at the summit meeting to be convened by Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali.
Mr Ahmed said in his opinion the biggest breakthrough achieved in the talks was that both the sides had agreed on restoration of sovereignty of parliament and the principle that the offices of the president and the COAS ought to be separated.
He said the committee had been able to hold its deliberations only after the government side had indicated that the president would concede on some of the contentious items of the LFO, including his uniform.
Mr Ahmed said the opposition side wanted that the president should quit one of the two offices and give a date in this regard.
Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, a PML-N leader who attended the deliberations, said the committee had done its job and now it was up to the government to show flexibility on the opposition’s demands.
A joint press release issued by the Speaker said: “The government-opposition parties negotiation committee started meeting at parliament house at 5pm with Speaker National Assembly Chaudhry Amir Hussain in the chair. The government side was represented by senator S.M. Zafar, Dr Sher Afgan, Riaz Hussain Pirzada and Syed Safwanullah MNAs, while from the opposition side the meeting was attended by Liaquat Baloch, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed and Chaudhry Aitezaz Ahsan MNAs, senator Sardar Mohammad Latif Khosa and Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan MNA.
“In today’s meeting, the government and opposition parties handed over to the chairman their separate proposals and recommendations for constitutional amendments.
“The committee chairman will now complete the report in the light of the proposals, deliberations and written recommendations submitted by the representatives of respective parties in the committee.
“It has been decided in the committee that the committee’s report will be presented to Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali by May 23 so that he could convene a meeting of the heads of political parties and take them into confidence in the light of the committee report.
“Members from the government and the opposition side thanked chairman Chaudhry Amir Hussain who afforded them an opportunity to present their stand and who also ran committee’s business in a cordial and impartial manner.
“Chairman of the committee will complete the report by May 23 and if needed he may convene another meeting of the committee,” it said.