LAHORE, June 22: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal claims to have the support of 180 MNAs to vote against National Assembly speaker Chaudhry Amir Husain.
For the first time an overwhelming majority of MNAs would respond to the call of their conscience for the sake of protecting the Constitution and ensuring supremacy of the parliament by voting against the speaker, MMA’s central leader Liaquat Baloch told a press conference here on Sunday.
Central information secretary Pir Ijaz Hashmi was also present.
Mr Baloch said parliamentary parties of the opposition would meet on June 27 before a joint sitting to devise a strategy for the National Assembly session as intimation letters to all members had been dispatched.
Terming the speaker’s ruling on the LFO extra-constitutional, he claimed Mr Husain had himself admitted that he was giving the ruling under immense pressure. The speaker had damaged his office by being partial and compromising on the constitutional powers of the assembly, so the motion against him was tabled under rule 12 of the house, he added.
About the meeting of the MMA’s central council in Peshawar on June 23 (today), Baloch said besides showing solidarity with the NWFP government against alleged meddling in the provincial affairs by the federal government, it would also discuss Pakistan-US joint military operation in the tribal areas.
He said the six-party religious alliance feared President Gen Pervez Musharraf during his current visit may bow to US pressure and recognize Israel, accept Line of Control as international border, roll back nuclear programme, help Washington in possible US action against Iran and send troops to Iraq for peacekeeping.
Hoping that the army would not allow him compromise on these issues of vital national interest, he warned Gen Musharraf that it would be impossible for him to move freely in the country if he went against national interests.
Baloch said under norms of parliamentary system Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali should have visited the US instead of Gen Musharraf who, he said, seemed under (US) pressure. He said all political parties and the parliament should have been taking into confidence before the visit.
He, however, said all opposition parties were unanimous that no compromise would be made on the supremacy of the parliament, holding two offices by Gen Musharraf, the National Security Council and the 58(2)b.