Multan, May 25: Pakistan's influential Islamic Alliance threatened today to send a million people into the streets if General Pervez Musharraf continued to hold the dual office of President and the Army chief. "The Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) will be forced to organise a million-strong march against the present military-controlled government if Musharraf refused to shed his military uniform," senior MMA leader Syed Munawar Hassan said. The six-party MMA has asked Musharraf to abdicate as chief of the Army staff by August 14 when Pakistan celebrates the 56th anniversary of its independence. "It is the last chance for Musharraf until August 14 to give up the military uniform otherwise he would lose the office of President also", said Hassan who is also secretary-general of the fundamentalist Jamaat-i-Islami party. Musharraf seized power in a military coup in October 1999 and gave himself sweeping powers with broad amendments to the Constitution last August, which legitimise the military's role in politics and allow Musharraf to hold the posts of President and chief of the powerful Army until 2007. Seven months after the country's first parliamentary polls, which followed three years of military rule, Opposition parties have stepped up pressure to curtail his powers and force him to stand down from his military title. The combined Opposition, including the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of former premier Benazir Bhutto and ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), have demanded parliamentary endorsement for the Constitutional changes.

Bureau Report