Islamabad: The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), an alliance of six religious parties in Pakistan, has agreed to give three more months to President Pervez Musharraf to step down as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and shed his uniform, the 'Online News' reported on July 13.

Announcing this on July 12, MMA National Assembly leader Qazi Hussein Ahmed said, "The MMA extended its deadline from August 14, 2004 to November 2004 for General Musharraf to give up his uniform."

He told reporters that a President's team had recently approached the alliance leaders seeking one- year extension in the deadline for his relinquishing the office of Army chief. But the MMA could extend the deadline by three months only to ensure success of talks, he added.

The Qazi said the MMA agreed to give the extension on the condition that all controversial clauses of the Legal Framework Order (LFO) are dropped and essential amendments have the Parliament's sanction. "We once again requested President Musharraf to accept supremacy of Parliament. Nation knows better the interest of the country than General Musharraf," he stated.

According to him, the top MMA leadership and a Musharraf's team, comprising political and non-political figures, had held several rounds of talks in the last few days before arriving at the agreement.

The MMA leader further said the sudden shift in the alliance's stance was to ensure that the talks with the President's team over the LFO progress smoothly. The leader said, "The MMA's stance on other issues like on 58-2 (B), extension in judges' retirement age, National Security Council, discretionary powers of President and inclusion of Musharraf's amendments in schedule-VI remained unchanged."

ANI