ISLAMABAD, Sept 18: PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said on Thursday President Gen Pervez Musharraf had assured the party that he would accept any constitutional package prepared with consensus.
“It will be in the interest of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal to accept (Gen Musharraf’s) verbal assurance on the issue of his uniform,” the PML president told a meeting of the party workers.
He said such issues should not be expected to be resolved in a day or two as was being given to understand by the MMA. He put the onus of progress in the future talks on the MMA, saying the ball was in their court.
He said even if the MMA broke off talks, the PML would continue to pursue them and bring the issue back to the negotiating table.
Among those who attended the meeting were Vice-President Majeed Malik, Gohar Ayub Khan, Information Ministers Shaikh Rashid Ahmed and Railways Minister Ghous Bakhsh Khan Mahar, Senator Nisar Memon, Joint Secretary Ayub Khattak and members of parliament.
Chaudhry Shujaat accused the PPP and PML-N of blackmailing the MMA and exploiting the alliance for their own designs.
He said the MMA leadership was giving their own meaning to various decisions taken at the meeting of party heads on Tuesday. He even disowned some of the minutes of the meeting which the MMA had made public.
The PML chief said the MMA leadership had developed a habit of brining up new issues on the table after the old ones were taken care of. He said the party heads’ meeting had discussed the local government system for well over two hours and added its outcome would now be taken to the president for approval.
He said the opposition’s political stand was devoid of any moral values and claimed that they would readily forget everything immediately and rush to join Gen Musharraf if the latter provided relief to their leaders sitting abroad.
Gen Musharraf, the PML chief maintained, was not fond of music and orchestra and he would not like to address joint session of parliament unless the drumming and desk-thumping was stopped.
Referring to legal and constitutional issues arising out of the unification of PML factions, he said every decision would be taken in consultation with the party workers.
He assured the party leadership of judicious distribution of party offices.
APP adds: Chaudhry Shujaat said had the Muslim Leaguers united before general elections, the party would have secured 20 to 25 more seats in the National Assembly.
Chaudhry Shujaat invited the PML-N to join the unified PML for serving the country in a better way. “If the PML-N leaders cannot join us owing to their personal interests, then I will ask the PML-N workers to join us individually,” he emphasized.