PML-Q chief empowered to negotiate LFO deal

Published December 11, 2003

ISLAMABAD, Dec 10: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday empowered Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, the ruling PML-Q president, to negotiate on his behalf terms of settlement on the question of LFO with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, party sources told Dawn.

Meanwhile, the government is reported to have agreed to waive off the condition of graduation for the members of assemblies and Senate to provide an immediate relief to the MMA which was facing disqualification of a majority of its MPs as their Madarsa certificates had been found by the courts to have failed to come up to the criteria set by the election rules.

It was also decided that the constitutional bill be prepared without delay and that preferably it should be submitted as a joint bill along with MMA.

According to the sources, Mr Shujaat drove to Rawalpindi camp office of Gen Musharraf soon after attending a luncheon in the federal capital and remained with the president for over four hours.

He briefed him about his latest meetings with MMA’s secretary-general Maulana Fazlur Rahman and vice-president Qazi Hussain Ahmed.

The sources claimed that Chaudhry Shujaat informed Gen Musharraf about his achievement vis-a-vis getting what they called a ‘silent’ assurance from the MMA to give the president vote of confidence after the passage of amendment bill by parliament.

Talking to Dawn, the vice-president of PML Kabir Ali Wasti said the issue of president’s army uniform had been settled but it will not be mentioned in the draft package.