ISLAMABAD, Nov 11: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has offered to the army a safe passage and to accept Gen Musharraf as president, provided the constitutional amendments, including the LFO, giving him extraordinary discretionary powers, are withdrawn and he quits the post of chief of army staff.

This offer was made by Qazi Hussain Ahmed on Monday in a meeting with President Gen Pervez Musharraf which lasted for over two hours.

“I have pointed out to the president that the MMA is opposed to the additional powers that he had given to himself through the Legal Framework Order (LFO) and his decision to retain the post of COAS while presiding over the state,” Qazi Hussain told Dawn after the meeting.

“I have, on behalf of the MMA, also offered the president support in giving his actions indemnity by parliament that he had taken after Oct 12, 1999,” the JI chief said.

He said that, in his opinion, it was a confidence-building attempt by the president to call him and get his views on the political situation prevailing in the country and its possible solutions.

He said he had asked the president to convene the National Assembly without further delay, so that elections of prime minister and speaker are held, and issues relating to the supremacy of parliament are discussed on the floor of the house.

When asked as to what was the reply of the president to his offer, Qazi Hussain Ahmed refused to divulge details, saying: “You better ask this question of the president.”

Qazi Hussain Ahmed said he told the president that stability did not come through administrative orders. Rather, it came with the confidence that the people reposed in their leadership.

HE SAID: “I told Gen Musharraf that we enjoy the confidence of a sizable population and hence, we, as elected representatives, say with authority that the country’s destiny can only be changed when all the powers are returned to the elected representatives.”

He said he told the president that any delay in transfer of power would dent the country’s image worldwide.

Speaking about the MMA’s talks with other alliances/parties, he said the ball was in PML-Q’s court whose parliamentary leader failed to do his duty as a coordinator between political parties and the government.