LAHORE, Aug 8: The government has decided to call a session of the National Assembly next week, ignoring the MMA’s threats that the religious parties will not extend cooperation unless a package of constitutional amendments is prepared before such a meeting.

“A draft package cannot be prepared unless some issues are first decided in principle,” PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Husain said in a press statement.

He said the ruling party had enacted legislation in the previous sessions of the National Assembly despite pandemonium created by the opposition. A new session was put on hold on the opposition’s demand, Mr Shujaat said, adding that it could not be delayed indefinitely.

Chaudhry Shujaat admitted that there had been no headway in the government-MMA talks on the LFO, but held the religious parties alliance responsible for the stalemate.

He alleged that in every round of talks the MMA came up with some new demand, possibly under the influence of the PPP and the PML-N.

Referring to Qazi Husain’s assertion that the MMA was holding talks with the government while adhering to its principled stand, the PML-Q chief said even the “principled stand” of the MMA kept changing with the passage of time.

The opposition, he said, had no clear agenda for talks and they wanted to get their personal problems or privileges included in it.

He said the government would not present any package to the MMA as the same was to be drafted jointly by the lawyers of the government and the opposition.

Mr Shujaat said President Musharraf had empowered him and Prime Minister Jamali to hold talks with the opposition, and had also shown ‘tremendous’ flexibility in this regard.

He reiterated that the issue of the president’s military uniform should be regarded as settled, and no one should have any ambiguity about it. “All the parties are fully aware of the position (of the government on the subject),” the ruling party chief said.

Mr Shujaat said he still hoped that talks between the two sides would yield positive results.