HYDERABAD, March 26: Jamat-i-Islami secretary-general Munawar Hassan has said the Legal Framework Order is illegal and that the army has not transferred the power to the civilian government.

Speaking at a news conference at the Jamat-i-Islami office here on Wednesday, he maintained the Constitution itself was quite clear for introducing amendments to it.

He said Gen Pervez Musharraf should present the LFO in the parliament for discussion as it was the only solution to the deadlock over the issue.

He said opposition parties had a unanimous opinion that the LFO was not a part of the Constitution.

Asking the government to start negotiations with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal over the LFO, Mr Hassan proposed the formation of a committee, comprising parliamentarians, to suggest recommendations.

But, he regretted, no positive response had been given to the MMA’s offer for a dialogue from government quarters.

He said the MMA would not accept a prime minister who was dictated by a uniformed president.

He urged the government to respect people’s mandate given to opposition parties.

Referring to any possible attack by India in the wake of the war on Iraq, he said the country needed a full-time chief of army staff who could concentrate on the situation along eastern and western borders.

Referring to the attack on Iraq, the JI leader pointed out it was against humanity and was going on despite strong opposition by the NAM, NATO, Arab League, OIC and the UNSC.

He said the worldwide protest against the war had proved the theory of clash of civilisations wrong as people belonging to different religions and races were united on the basis of humanity.

He said the US did not want to free Iraqi people as it was claiming but to take over possession of oil resources of the country.

The MMA leader claimed Pakistan was also included in the list of countries which were backing the US in its current war.

He said huge marches in Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi against the war had proved that our foreign policy had met with failure.

He said the foreign policy should be based on aspirations of people.

Mr Hassan asserted the US was pursuing an agenda of uni-polar world and it wanted to introduce a mini super power in the subcontinent in order to contain China and weaken Pakistan.

He said the country needed a leadership that could counter all such moves.

He said the war on Iraq could provide a pretext to India to amass its troops along borders.

The JI leader said the government should ask the FBI to leave the country and take back air bases provided to the US.

He said the government should call the US ambassador and record its protest about the Iraq war.

Criticizing Federal Information Minister Shaikh Rasheed Ahmad for his statement about expulsion of diplomatic staff of Iraq from the country, he said the MMA would resist this move.

He called upon the Arab League and the OIC to support Iraq.