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Jamali Government's compromise package for MMA

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD Sept 19 . Hours before the departure of the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, to New York, an emergency Cabinet meeting, chaired by the Pakistan Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, approved a "compromise package" for an understanding with Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) vis-a-vis Gen. Musharraf and the controversial changes he had made to the Constitution.The package does not concede the most contentious demand — Gen. Musharraf should relinquish the post of the Chief of the Army Staff. The Cabinet decided to leave it to Gen. Musharraf's discretion. On several occasions in the past few months, while agreeing that he should not be a President in uniform, Gen. Musharraf had argued that "national interests" demanded his continuance. The concessions offered include a little dilution of the powers of Gen. Musharraf relating to the dissolution of Assemblies. Under the new proposal, he is required to make a reference to the Supreme Court within 15 days and the court would give its verdict within 30 days.

The newly created National Security Council, with representation to all Service chiefs, would now be covered by an Act of Parliament. Gen. Musharraf is also required to "consult" the Prime Minister on their appointment. On an extension of the retirement age of judges, the decision was to be guided by the Law Commission.

The newly floated Unified Muslim League chief, Shujat Hussain, is expected to take the package to the MMA leaders tonight. It is not clear whether the concessions would satisfy them. Their main demand was on the uniform and since that has not been conceded, it is difficult to see an agreement.

Mr. Jamali held negotiations with the MMA leaders earlier this week and both sides had claimed "substantive progress". Mr. Jamali was forced to hold an emergency cabinet meet today after the MMA threatened to take to streets if the Government did not respond to its demands by today.

The earlier pact between the alliance of religious parties and the Government was arrived at on September 16. The agreement appeared to have collapsed in the face of strident pro-Musharraf voices denying key features of the pact.

A commitment by Gen. Musharraf to give up his job as the Army chief within a definite time-frame, the introduction of a constitutional amendment in Parliament to ratify the controversial amendments made to the Constitution by him and his election as President through Parliament were some of the key aspects of the deal.

Strangely, the very next day pro-Musharraf voices reiterated the old position that it was his prerogative to decide when to leave the Army.

The Pakistan Parliament has been paralysed for the last ten months by these issues, and has not been able to transact any meaningful business.

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