ISLAMABAD, Dec 15: The government is unlikely to convene the National Assembly session before Dec 17 deadline, set by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) for presentation of the proposed constitutional package to the parliament, a source told Dawn here on Monday.

The source said Tuesday was the last day for the government to convene the assembly session before the MMA’s deadline, but there were no indications the session would be called on Wednesday.

He said the government had intentionally delayed the session for a few days after the Dec 17 deadline of the MMA to give an impression that the regime was not under any kind of pressure for presenting the proposed package.

He said Pakistan Muslim League-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had once again contacted the MMA leadership asking it to withdraw the deadline, but the MMA had refused to do so. The source said the government had been asked by Gen Pervez Musharraf not to take the MMA’s deadline very seriously.

He said earliest the session could be convened on Friday.

The deputy information secretary of the Jamaat-i-Islami, Shahid Shamsi, when contacted, said the MMA had not been intimated by the government about any possible date for the NA session despite the fact that only one day was left in the deadline. Mr Shamsi said the MMA would start its mass mobilization campaign on Dec 18 according to the announced schedule.