KARACHI, 23 November 2003 — Pakistan’s opposition parties may opt for a new compromise with Gen. Pervez Musharraf, according to a leader of the country’s religious opposition.
Liaquat Baloch, a Muttehada Majlis-e-Amal leader, said the conglomerate of religious parties was having second thoughts and could change its strategy after Eid-ul-Fitr. Opposition parliamentarians have for some time been saying privately that they do not want the dissolution of assemblies, in contrast to party leaders like Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, the two exiled former prime ministers.
The MMA, Pakistan’s principal opposition party, now wants a fresh round of negotiations with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.
The MMA leader said his party would confront the government on the floor of the house instead of filibustering and staging daily walkouts.
This would amount to a de facto recognition of the federal Parliament, which the MMA and other opposition parties like the PPP of Bhutto and PML(N) of Sharif have been refusing to acknowledge.
However, many opposition MPs now feel that Musharraf should be persuaded to lead the country as a civilian head of state.
But Baloch said if opposition parties recognized the assemblies, the government should show willingness to accommodate the opposition’s point of view.
