**Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, said on Tuesday that General Pervez Musharraf should be given “safe passage” through his re-election as president in uniform, to save the country from another bout of martial law. “**I think once again we should all deliberate on this option to avoid a repeat of the East Pakistan tragedy,” Maulana Fazl told Daily Times in an exclusive interview. He was referring to the secession of East Pakistan in 1971 to form Bangladesh. Maulana Fazl, who is also head of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-Fazl) party and secretary general of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), said that Gen Musharraf could impose another martial law if he failed to win political support for his re-election as president in uniform. He said the support of the international community, particularly the United States, to Gen Musharraf could embolden him to go ahead with this plan. “I think history should not repeat itself and there should be no 1969-like marital law in the country,” he said. He voiced tacit support for a power-sharing deal between Benazir Bhutto, former prime minister and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairwoman, and Gen Musharraf, provided “it was done in all sincerity”. He claimed the deal was backed by the US and the UK. The president and former prime minister reportedly met in Abu Dhabi last week to work out the details of a deal. Though the government has only confirmed “indirect contacts” between the two, federal ministers Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and Sher Afgan Niazi have confirmed their meeting.
As far as the presidential elections are concerned, Maulana Fazl said nobody from the presidency had so far contacted the MMA in this regard. He warned that the opposition would not let any general seize power at the behest of Gen Musharraf. “Gone are the days when the masses pinned their hopes on the generals for solution of the country’s problems. Democracy is the ultimate option for the solution of political issues,” he said. Maulana Fazl did not rule out the possibility of a future coalition government of the PPP and PML at the centre. He predicted that the MMA would win a greater number of seats in NWFP and Balochistan and “sweep the polls” in Punjab and Sindh in the upcoming elections. He ruled out any rift in the six-party religious alliance, and asserted that his JUI-F would continue to be a major part of the alliance in the upcoming election. He again offered the MMA’s unconditional support to NWFP Governor Ali Jan Orakzai and the Centre for settlement of the Waziristan imbroglio by striking another peace deal with tribal militants. Fazl was instrumental in brokering the 2006 peace deal in North Waziristan between local Taliban and the government, and a government-sponsored jirga has already called for his help to renegotiate the deal, which collapsed after tribal militants pulled out of it last month.
Re: President Musharraf SHOULD be re-elected in Uniform - Fazlur Rehman!!??
^^ See Mullahs thought they had Musharraf by his neck. However the reality is that King Maker "Musharraf-in-uniform" is the one in driver's seat. So Mullahs have to either play along, or be relegated to the sidelines by the BB or NS.
I guess BB sensed this game and that's why she was bit on the offensive after Dubai meetings.
Re: President Musharraf SHOULD be re-elected in Uniform - Fazlur Rehman!!??
He is mis-quoted. He clarified on TV. Said he was interviewed using a translator and he never meant that Musharraf should be re-elected in Uniform. Without uniform he says he can talk.
Re: President Musharraf SHOULD be re-elected in Uniform - Fazlur Rehman!!??
^^ See Mullahs thought they had Musharraf by his neck. However the reality is that King Maker "Musharraf-in-uniform" is the one in driver's seat. So Mullahs have to either play along, or be relegated to the sidelines by the BB or NS.
I guess BB sensed this game and that's why she was bit on the offensive after Dubai meetings.
Fazlur Rehman is now talking the same talk as BB, and even requesting the government talk to him as well about facilitating the re-election of President Musharraf. Having helped the govt previously in the passing of the 17th amendment that strengthened Musharraf's rule in uniform, he obviously does not want to be left out in all the wheeling dealing that's going on with BB.
Under this planned arrangement, the government at the centre would be formed either by the PPP or the PML-Q, depending on the number of seats that they would win in the general elections. The Chaudhrys of Gujrat, who faced the wrath of PML-Q parliamentarians in Islamabad on Monday for being kept in the dark, have been promised the Punjab lollipop. Knowledgeable circles, however, believe that the PPP would also demand a lion’s share in the Punjab after the elections. In Sindh the government would be formed by the PPP and the MQM while the JUI of Maulana Fazl will retain what it has at present—the government in the North West Frontier Province and a coalition in Balochistan. The top leadership of the ruling PML-Q believes that their party would get clear majority in the Punjab as well in Balochistan and hence form the governments there. To form a government at the centre, the PML-Q leadership claims, it has the most suitable candidates for National Assembly elections.
The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), that helped the government in one or the other way in last five years, is not only perturbed over Musharraf-Benazir deal but is also searching options to remain in the power corridors. “Continuing to rule two provinces in the last five years, MMA is keeping its options open whenever the government invites it publicly or makes some offer through backdoor channels,” one of the leading members of MMA said. According to sources, the MMA is ready to be compromising over the future political scenario in the backdrop of Musharraf-Benazir discussions as the caretaker governments are to be set up in the centre and provinces for general elections. “We have our own stakes under which we have to deal with both the opposition and the government in order to secure our future,” sources said, adding, “We have edge over the PPP particularly when we talk about the NWFP and Balochistan provinces.” They claimed that at least Maulana Fazlur Rehman would succeed to mould the power brokers if not the whole MMA. “Fazl, once an ally of Benazir Bhutto, has been consistently in touch with the authorities who matter in the present dispensation.” These sources said Maulana Fazlur Rehman has no problem in dealing with present government or Benazir Bhutto, however, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), one of the two major parties in MMA, is comparatively close to PML-N particularly as far as stakes of both in Punjab are concerned.
**Fazlur Rehman, who enjoys office of Opposition Leader in National Assembly, has recently indicated not to become hurdle in the way of re-election of the President in uniform under the pretext of what he claimed that the country may face martial law if he is not reelected while holding military slot. At the same time, the political pundits believe the MMA may also be ready, though not publicly, to enter into secret arrangements with the government over the issue of uniform. “There can be a way out similar to what the MMA did in 2003-04 on the issue of uniform while validating Legal Framework Order (LFO),” sources said. According to these circles, the government is going to repeat the LFO impasse episode by striking deal with the PPP Chairperson for future political dispensation, and the MMA may come up with more than what the Peoples Party has offered to Gen Pervez Musharraf. “Maulana Fazlur Rehman is in Islamabad waiting for a call from the government functionaries to talk about future set up while entering into some kind of open or secret arrangements,” the political sources further said. **
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s chief should tell the nation what his reaction is to Opposition leader Maulana Fazalur Rehman’s proposal for President Musharraf to be reelected in uniform, urged the Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly. “Mr Rehman is a principal ally of Nawaz Sharif in the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM), so he (Sharif) must disclose the explanation sought from Mr. Rehman,” Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said at a press conference at his chambers Thursday. He ridiculed the APDM, the PPP-less alliance, calling it ‘epidemic’ and asked from the “epidemic” leadership to clarify its position because it had been critical of PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto for her talks with the regime. “It was decided in principle at a meeting of the joint Opposition, the ARD and the MMA, that dialogue may be held for a smooth transition to democracy and transfer of power,” Khuhro said. He recalled that a committee was also formed to pursue dialogue with the government as a result of the unanimous decision of the ARD-MMA leaders and Bhutto’s talks should be considered part of that policy. Khuhro said that Rehman had proposed that Musharraf should be reelected in uniform to avoid Martial Law but Bhutto has never backed a president in military uniform.
Re: President Musharraf SHOULD be re-elected in Uniform - Fazlur Rehman!!??
Alhamdulilallah. So much for side lining the alleged dictator by the democratic parties.
Geo News was separately reporting on or interviewing Qazi Hussain and Maulana Fazlur Rehman today. Qazi was giving a pretty blunt and direct message (obviously aimed at Fazlur Rehman) that any attempt to give safe passage to Musharraf would be a vote loser and could not be accepted. While Fazlur Rehman was telling Geo that govt people had been in contact with him, and he evaded the question when asked if he would support Musharraf in uniform. It is clear that the MMA is imploding from within with Qazi prepared to go his own way, while Fazlur Rehman adopts a BB-like stance in respect to dealings with Musharraf.
Re: President Musharraf SHOULD be re-elected in Uniform - Fazlur Rehman!!??
BB has her price for a deal with Musharraf - her cases to be dropped and possibly to be PM again. This is what Maulana Diesel’s condictions seem to be.
**In return for presidential poll support: Fazl seeks govt in NWFP **
LAHORE: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has offered his party’s support to the government in the presidential election if the ruling PML supports the JUI-F in forming a government in the NWFP and promises not to take action against madrassas in the province, sources told Daily Times on Monday.
The sources said that Rehman had already told NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani, a member of the JUI-F, and the heads of madrassas in the province that the party could negotiate with the PML to form a JUI-F government in the province after the upcoming general elections.
saray lootaray ek se barh ke ek lotay hayn