'Serious rift in MMA over resignations'
Bureau Report

PESHAWAR—Provincial chief of Jamaat-i-Islami Sirajul Haq Tuesday admitted that there were serious differences in the Muttahidda Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) over resignations right from the supreme council to lower level and said that efforts would be made to develop consensus over the issue and save the alliance.
Talking to media men here the former provincial senior minister said that the standpoint of Qazi Hussain Ahmad was very much clear on the issue. Some component parties of the MMA were against resignations, he said and added, “at this particular stage if we go ahead with tendering resignations from parliament, the alliance would be endangered. We want to keep the alliance intact and strive for achievement of our goals.”
To a question about by-polls on NA-44 Bajaur, Siraj said that the people of the agency do not want re-elections on the seat vacated by Haroonur Rashid in protest of attack on a religious institution. “They would take to streets on January 7 along with quilts and blankets and stay on roads till the day of elections so that the election drama of the government could not be succeeded,” he said.
He condemned the women protection bill and said that every proud Muslim of this region would continue his efforts against he bill aimed at creation of sex-free zone. “The bill is against Islam, our culture and tradition. We would never let it imposed in our province,” he threatened.
He strongly criticized the policies of President Musharraf and said the people were provoked against the military rule. “We have lost our freedom. Our frontiers are insecure and sovereignty is in danger,” Siraj argued.
He maintained that President Musharraf lent support to NATO and US troops by giving the reason of economic development. But the fresh economic report released by State Bank of Pakistan shows that price-hike would swell by 5.4 percent in 2007. The report adds that industrial development has shown downward trend from 11.9 to 5.11 percent, which is the worst downfall in the past 20 years.
“This shows that economy of the country has collapsed instead of development,” he added. The most dangerous thing is that hatred has been created among the people against the army due to flawed policies of the military rulers. “Now army men can not come out to bazaar in their uniform,” he said.
He further said that 17 times the borders of the country were violated. The October 30 attack on a religious seminary in Bajaur was also launched without the consent of Pakistan. It is shameful for the government that it could not present even a single evidence that those “martyred” in the seminary were terrorists not students, he went on to say.
About his three-day visit of district Peshawar, he said during the visit he found great enthusiasm and love for MMA among the people “This shows that the success of MMA in 2002 election was not temporary one. I hope the people of the Frontier province would back MMA with renewed zeal and we would show better performance in the next election than the previous one,” he remarked.