KARACHI, Aug 31: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has stated that the people are fed up with the rule of Gen Musharraf and his policies and if any movement is launched, it would be difficult even for the army to control the flood of people.

Advising Gen Musharraf to find the reasons of such frustration, MMA’s Deputy Secretary General Liaquat Baloch said that Gen Musharraf should set aside his stubborn attitude and ego by presenting his constitutional amendments’ package before the parliament.

He said that the heads of all parties in the alliance would meet on Monday to review political situation viz-a-viz rulers stand inside and outside the ongoing talks on LFO. The meeting would also discuss the uniform issue and decide either to continue negotiations with the government or to start its mass contact campaign against the regime.

Mr Baloch said, “After rejection of amendments, Gen Musharraf made to the Constitution, by the nation, his target is to impose martial law in the country and change the parliamentary form of government to presidential system and introduce unitary form of government by dividing provinces.

“Gen Musharraf could be thinking on these lines, but it is not feasible, as taking such steps would be tantamount to play with the national integrity,” he added.

Mr Baloch, flanked by leaders of Jamaat-i-Islami Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui, Muhammad Hussain Mehanti, Nasrullah Shaji, Yunus Barai and Sarfraz Ahmad, said that if the military government was not prepared to give way to democracy through dialogues all other options were open to them.

Denying the impression that MMA had conceded to accept President Musharraf in uniform for another year, he said that it was the proposal of the ruling party when MMA had suggested that President should announce to take-off his uniform by August 14, 2003.

Regarding MMA’s coalition with PML(Q) in Balochistan province, Mr Baloch said that the decision was made to save the Balochistan provincial assembly as no other party was in position to form the government without MMA’s support.

“The MMA will continue adhering to its policy as to save the system and take out the country from the constitutional crisis through dialogues,” he added.

He said that the opposition parties would continue to record their protest against LFO in the Parliament. He added that Gen Musharraf wanted to fail the system by not restoring democracy and the constitutional order in the country.

The MMA leader said the statement of Prime Minister Jamali that politicians would be responsible if democracy failed in the country was not based on facts, as only Gen Musharraf would be responsible for the failure of democracy. He elaborated the stand of the opposition parties, which were striving for protection of the Constitution, supremacy of the Parliament and independence of the judiciary.

He said that MMA had completed its dialogues on LFO and constitutional consultations. He said that LFO was unconstitutional and the amendments to the Constitution should be presented before the parliament in form of a bill. Until the election of president, the parliament would be incomplete, he added.

Likewise, the MMA leader said, the opposition parties were opposed to give discretionary powers of dissolving the assembly and conceding supremacy to the army through National Security Council.

When asked, if MMA would join the government after its talks succeeded on LFO, Mr Baloch said even if the negotiation succeeded, MMA would not become part of the government.

“The ongoing talks with the government are not aimed at saving the government in NWFP, but to protect the Constitution,” he said and added that adoption of resolution to send references against the opposition was nothing, but a political blackmailing.

Earlier, Mr Baloch endorsed the demand of the provincial and city governments for grant from the federal government to provide relief to the people, who were affected from recent rains. Expressing solidarity with the people, he said that the government had failed to provide due relief to them and protect their life and property.

He said there was wide differences over water reservoir projects in the country. By raising this issue, Gen Musharraf wanted to divert the attention of people from the constitutional crisis, he added.

Mr Baloch said that the government in Sindh was formed in an unnatural way by depriving the major party to form the provincial government. Thus, he added, the entire system in the province had failed to deliver services and its internal power struggle had marred the governance.

Criticizing the government policy against Afghanistan, he said that consequences of backing the US policy were affecting national security of Pakistan.

The MMA leader said that the US had failed to rein public in Afghanistan and Iraq, where people were united against the US. “We demand that the government should review its policy of extending support to the US against Afghanistan and declare that army will not be sent to Iraq,” he added.