Saturday, July 29 2006 13:37 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Karachi: Pakistan's moderate and hardline parties yesterday (July 29,2006) agreed in principle to move a no-trust motion against Premier Shaukat Aziz as President Pervez Musharraf battled a major political crisis after the influential MQM party decided to pull out its ministers from federal and Sindh Cabinets.

The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) comprising parties headed by former Premiers Benazir Bhuttoand Nawaz Sharif, and the Islamic alliance Muttahida Majlis-e Amal (MMA) have agreed in principle to jointly move a no-confidence motion against Aziz in the National Assembly, may be as early as on July 31.

"We have reached a consensus to fight for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan," MMA General Secretary Fazlur Rehman told a joint press conference here with ARD President Amin Fahim and MMA President Qazi Ahmed Hussain.



He said the motion could be moved as early as on July 31.

"It has been proved that it is a failed government that has lost the confidence of the masses. The No-Trust Motion is not only our constitutional but also democratic right," said Rehman, who was considered to be soft towards the government among all the opposition party leaders.



The decision to move the no-confidence motion perhaps the first since 2002 general elections was taken during the June meeting of Bhutto and Sharif, who live abroad in exile.

The two former Prime Ministers also wanted to gear up their parties at home to move an impeachment motion against Musharraf.