The PML-Q parliamentary leader, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, held a brief meeting with Maulana Fazlur Rahman, the MMA secretary- general at the latter’s flat and asked him for the resumption of dialogue between the two parties.
Maulana Fazlur Rahman responded by saying that he would consult the MMA’s senior leaders for another round of talks at Peshawar on Saturday. The prime minister will also attend.
It is worth recalling that a marathon meeting between the Grand National Alliance (GNA) and MMA with some high ups of Musharraf government on November 20 to hammer out a settlement ahead of the prime minister’s election (held on November 21) had broken down following which the PML-Q decided to go it alone.
Fazl said: “We will definitely talk on all issues but will not compromise on the contentious issues.” He, however, made it clear that the MMA would not let Jamali-led coalition collapse, so that politicians could not be accused for not being able to run the democratic system.
He said: “We have shown maximum flexibility on the constitutional issues including the LFO, article 58(2)(b) and the NSC, and we have also agreed to help Gen Musharraf to get elected by Parliament if he gives up the army chief’s post.
He said that the MMA had also agreed to accept the NSC as an advisory body, but it will never allow it to become a supra-constitutional institution over the head of Parliament.
It is said that Shujaat would leave for Lahore and Fazl for Peshawar tomorrow (Friday), and would possibly be joined by Qazi Hussain Ahmed and prime minister Jamali at Peshawar on Saturday, on the occasion of the election of the NWFP chief minister.
The MMA’s deputy secretary-general, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, who was present at the Shujaat-Fazl meeting told Dawn the Maulana had told Shujaat that it was his responsibility to convince the President to accept the bare minimum conditions for their entering into a coalition.
Meanwhile, a senior PML-Q source confided to this reporter that the party was confident of gaining the MMA support in the near future.
The party sources said that since there was no immediate danger the Jamali-led coalition for about two months when he takes vote of confidence.