KARACHI, June 4: Leaders of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and the People’s Party Parliamentarians agreed on Wednesday to work out a combined opposition strategy to frustrate the government’s attempt to have its way on the Legal Framework Order issue and the budget.

This was agreed in a meeting which MMA Chairman Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani held with PPP President Makhdoom Amin Fahim at the latter’s residence. PPP Deputy Secretary-General Senator Raza Rabbani was also present.

The PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-N have already decided to jointly resist the government attempt to institutionalize military’s role in politics and in governance.

In view of the government-MMA confrontation in the NWFP and breakdown of negotiations over the LFO, they agreed to hold a meeting of the combined opposition prior to the budget session scheduled for Saturday.

According to sources, discussing the general political situation, they expressed the apprehension that the government might attempt strong-arm tactics against the opposition legislators, as it did in Punjab, to get the budget passed.

The meeting assumed significance because the top leadership of the MMA is meeting in Lahore on Thursday to take a position on the evolving political situation.