PESHAWAR, Nov 13: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) has demanded  of President Pervez Musharraf that he should step down and set up an interim government for holding fresh elections in the country.

Provincial chief of the JI, Prof Ibrahim, said the whole nation had unanimously opposed the decision of supporting United States against Taliban. He blamed Gen Musharraf for not taking the nation into confidence on this important issue.

He said:”Gen Musharraf should resign and elections should be held under an interim government consisting of politicians and technocrats of integrity. The military rulers should hand over government to the representatives of the masses at the earliest.”

He claimed that President Musharraf did not bother about taking neighbouring countries like China and Iran into confidence and said it could be not only dangerous for Pakistan but also could result in what he termed isolation of Pakistan.

Terming charges against Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Qazi Hussain Ahmad as baseless, he said these tactics would not weaken their movement against the government.

About the situation at Afghanistan, Prof Ibrahim said a new civil war was feared there. He said the US wanted to impose Northern Alliance in Afghanistan which, he added, would just prolong the internal conflict.

The absence of Jihadi groups from future Afghan setup would be a dangerous move for the whole region, the JI leader claimed.