JEDDAH, 31 January 2005 — The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) wants democracy to take roots in Pakistan and aims at restoring the 1973 constitution that was adopted by national consensus.
“A host of amendments was made to the constitution later either by political leaders or military rulers during the past 32 years. These amendments were not endorsed by the opposition and our alliance now wants them scrapped, said MMA leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmad who is also the deputy parliamentary leader of the House.
The 17th Amendments rushed through Parliament by President Pervez Musharraf that gives him sweeping powers including the power to sack governments and dissolve the assemblies should also be scrapped, Ahmad said.
Referring to the recent meeting between MMA and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz group leaders here, he said the former prime minister pledged allout support to our agitation that will be launched in February.
“Nawaz Sharif had complained in the past about his party being left out in agitations, so we offered them the opportunity to participate in the forthcoming anti-government agitation,” he said in a telephone interview from Madinah.
Hafiz Hussain, who came here to perform Haj, will leave for Pakistan in the first week of February.
“The military government had asked us to give a year’s time while it can go back to the barracks, but it reneged on the promise,” he said.
About the participation of Pakistan People’s Party in the February agitation and PPP leader Asif Zardari’s forthcoming meeting with Nawaz Sharif in Jeddah, he said: “PML-N and PPP have some reservations. Let Zardari meet with Nawaz, we will see the situation, but our doors are open. No one from the PPP leadership has contacted us.”
On the current situation in Sui, Balochistan, he said: “The province of Balochistan is 45 percent of the total territory of Pakistan. Establishing a garrison there is not a solution to the volatile situation in the province. We want the government to solve the issue through direct negotiations.
“The situation in Balochistan is getting worse; it can only be solved by giving the province its due rights like provincial autonomy and royalty for gas. Talks should be held between the government and political leaders of the province instead of feudal lords, he added. About the Baglihar Dam project, which has become a bone of contention, Hafiz Hussain said: “This is purely a technical issue and we asked the government to tackle it technically.
“Building a dam will make the matter worse, especially for Kashmir. Sending troupes and trade delegations are not proper solutions. Give the basic issues the prominence if both Pakistan and India want to improve bilateral relations,” he said.
Earlier, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, president of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan and the MMA chief, said in a meeting with the Pakistani community at a local hotel that the military government was not capable of solving the country’s political problems.
Asked about assistance to stranded Pakistanis, Qazi Hussain, who was also here to perform Haj, said “we provided them assistance through their leaders there. And even in Parliament we raised the issue of their rehabilitation.”
But the convenor of Pakistan Repatriation Council-Jeddah (PRC) Syed Ehsanul Haque, who was also at the meeting did not agree.
“The government of Bangladesh has stopped the minimal supply of 3 kg of wheat to stranded Pakistani families in January 2004 due to lack of funds,” said Ehasanul Haque. “We approached private NGOs and charitable organizations to mobilize welfare activities for quarter million patriotic Pakistanis languishing in Bangladesh for 33 years,” he added.
