PESHAWAR - Leaders of major political parties in the North-West Frontier Province have opposed the government's constitutional amendment proposals and said that changes made in the constitution by an individual, and not by parliament, may deepen the crisis now being faced by the country.

Participating in a seminar on the amendment proposals, organised by the Peshawar centre of Pakistan Television, most of the politicians were of the view that if the constitution needed to be amended the matter should be addressed in accordance with the constitutional procedure.

The two-hour discussion, fourth of a series organised by the PTV, was compered by Mohammad Malik. Those who spoke at the seminar included Barrister Masud Kausar of Pakistan People's Party, Awami National Party's Qazi Mohammad Anwar and Bashir Ahmad Khan Matta, Anwar Kamal Khan of Pakistan Muslim League (N), Nisar Mohammad Khan of PML (QA), Jamaate Islami's Professor Mohammad Ibrahim Khan, National Awami Party's Latif Afridi, Dr Adnan Sarwar Khan, chairman of International Relations Department of the University of Peshawar, Jan Alam of Pakistan Maqsad Hemayat Tehrik, and Additional Advocate General Musarrat Hilali. The NWFP government was represented by Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Athar Minallah. Dr Adnan Sarwar said that such seminar would serve no purpose unless views expressed by participants were taken into consideration by the National Reconstruction Bureau while finalising the proposals, and not ignored as happened in the case of the devolution of power plan. He was backed by PML Anwar Kamal Khan, Barrister Masud Kausar and others. Law Minister Athar Minallah defended the government move to present the amendment plan for public debate and said that the purpose was to seek public opinion on the issue before preparing a final draft. Besides, he said, the government of Pervez Musharraf had got a mandate from the Supreme Court to carry out necessary amendments to ensure stability and continuation of his reform policies. He said the proposals meant to introduce a sustainable democratic process. The minister's opinion was challenged by outspoken rights leader Barrister Baacha who said that the Supreme Court verdict directed the president to remain within limits of the 1973 constitution and to change its character.

Additional Advocate General Mussarat Hilali supported most of the proposals, particularly those which aimed to enable women, constituting half of the national population, to have greater access to parliament and provincial legislatures.

NAP Pakistan's Latif Afridi supported the constitutional package saying that it would allow tribal people, for the first time in the history of Pakistan to be represented in the provincial assembly. Leaders of ANP and PPP said that the package sought 73 amendments which would completely change the character of the 1973 constitution and introduce the presidential form of government in place of the federal parliamentary system enshrined in the constitution.

ANP's Bashir Khan suggested a parliamentary committee be set up after the October elections to study if the constitution needed to be amended and to draft proposals for determining powers and of the president and the prime minister and checks and balances. Dr Adnan Sarwar said all issue, including that of a system of checks and balance, must be decided only within parliament.

Jamaate Islami's Professor Ibrahim Khan urged the government to avoid changing the character of the constitution.