October 19, 2002	Saturday	Sha'aban 12, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 18: Chief of Jamaat-i-Islami and vice president of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), Qazi Hussain Ahmed, on Friday declared that the alliance will extend its support to such party which would pledge support to its candidate Maulana Fazlur Rahman for the post of prime minister.

Speaking at a news conference here, Qazi Hussain Ahmed welcomed the decision to withdraw troops from borders by India and Pakistan and said: “We support a meaningful dialogue between the two countries in order to resolve the long-standing issue of Kashmir.”

He alleged large-scale rigging in Oct 10 polls and asked the Chief Election Commissioner to shun joking with the nation and take action on the material which the candidates from across the country had provided to him.

In reply to a query whether the MMA would accept the Kashmir policy as framed by the army government, Qazi said: “We adhere to that Kashmir policy which the nation has been espousing for the last many years.”

About Afghanistan, Qazi said that one could hope that a representative government will soon be formed there and the Afghans living abroad will return to their homeland to take part in its development.

The MMA has kept all options, including sitting on the opposition benches, open and it would not compromise on its manifesto and the principles set for extending cooperation on formation of a government, he said.

He criticized federal law minister’s statement in which he had advised those not accepting LFO as part of the Constitution to resign, and said: “Instead, we ask the minister to leave the government as he was an unconstitutional minister.”

When asked if the MMA had accepted the proposals for cooperation forwarded to him by the ARD chief, Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, the JI chief said, “we are in the process of consultation on every suggestion which comes for a smooth transfer of power.”

To a query about differences between him and Maulana Fazlur Rahman, he said “why should have I proposed his name as the alliance’s candidate for prime minister had there been any truth in such reports and why should have I been ahead of other leaders to support his candidature.”