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ISLAMABAD: The government and the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) negotiating teams Saturday reached an understanding on MMA’s two reservations raised during the debate on the 17th Constitutional Amendment Bill in the National Assembly.

MMA leader and Amir of Jamat-e-Islami Qazi Hussain Ahmad said in Islamabad that the government party had agreed to amend the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2003 in order to accommodate the MMA’s suggestions.\

Shujaat, Zafar Meet PM

Meanwhile, PML President Chaudhry Shujat Hussain and Senator SM Zafar after a detailed session of negotiations with Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal leaders aiming at resolving the differences between religious alliance and government on tabled LFO bill on Saturday night briefed Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali on the dialogue session.

Both government negotiation team members consulted Prime Minister on certain amendments likely to be introduced in the draft of package to end the reservations of MMA on tabled LFO package, on which government and MMA had struck a deal on December 24.

Both PML leaders remained with the Prime Minister for 45 minutes in his chamber at parliament house during the session of National Assembly. They discussed the strategy of ratification of amendment bill from the both houses of the parliament in the days to come.

Jamali Reiterates Stance

Reliable sources say that Premier Jamali remained firm on the government stance that the demand of religious alliance to table another bill in the parliament was the deviation from MMA-govt accord on LFO issue.

Chaudhry Shujat told Jamali that he has already clarified to top MMA leaders including Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Qazi Hussain Ahmed that only a few amendments could be possible in the tabled draft of bill and “there would be no new bill”.

Shujat claimed that MMA leaders have agreed on certain amendments and they did not insist the presentation of another bill in the parliament. Sources said that Jamali during the meeting with Shujat and SM Zafar called State Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Raza Hayat Hiraj in his chambers and directed him on the possible amendments in the bill.

He advised Hiraj to start his preparations for introducing those amendments. Shujat and SM Zafar after meeting Premier Jamali also met Speaker National Assembly and briefed him on the development in ongoing negotiations with MMA leaders on tabled bill.Senior government dignitaries including Chief Minister Punjab Pervaiz Elahi, PML leaders Hamid Nasir Chattha, General (Retd) Mujid Malik and Salim Saifullah Khan, and senior members of parliament belonging to allied parties were also present on this occasion.

Qazi Hussain Reax

The Acting President of MMA Qazi Hussain Ahmed said objections raised by MMA on the constitutional package have been removed by the government.

He said, 'we had objections on two points of the constitutional package. The government has removed our objections and the matter has been settled with the government', he added.

It was prerogative of the parliament to amend the constitution according to the prescribed rules by two-third majority of the two houses, he said by adding that 'it had been agreed upon by both the parties that parts of the LFO which were acceptable to MMA would become part of the constitution and those parts which were not acceptable to the MMA would be removed.'

Qazi Hussain Ahmad said that the government party had agreed to amend the Constitution Amendment Bill 2003 in order to accommodate the MMA's suggestions. National Security Council (NSC) will be established by an act of the parliament. Chaudhary Shujat Hussain and his companions have accepted the points of MMA. During the adoption of the bill, MMA’s suggestions would be accommodated, he concluded.