June 1, 2003	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 29, 1424

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QUETTA, May 31: The provincial chief of the Muttahida Majlis- i-Amal and MNA, Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani, has said Shariat bill will be tabled in the Balochistan Assembly within the parameter of the Constitution and recommendations of the Islamic Ideology Council.

Talking to Dawn at the MPA hostel on Saturday he said that tabling a Shariat bill was part of the agreement signed between the PML-Q and MMA leadership on the eve of formation of a coalition government in the province.

Formation of a committee to prepare the Shariat bill had already been decided and a notification about it would soon be made, he said.

Replying to a question he said that the Shariat bill would be like the one adopted by the NWFP Assembly.

He said that the bill would be presented before the provincial assembly within the parameter of the Constitution and would be based on the recommendations of the Islamic Ideology Council.

He said that the MMA was of the view that only the Parliament had the powers to amend the Constitution, and added that they would not compromise on it.

The JUI-F leader observed that the MMA believed in transfer of powers from a government servant to the elected government.

He asserted that sharing of power for MMA at the Centre under the prevailing circumstances was out of question.

When asked to comment on Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s speech in Quetta during which he had offered to extend concession to the government if their five points were accepted, Maulana Sherani expressed ignorance about the pretext that he was not present on the occasion.

Referring to PML-Q general secretary Malik Sarwar Khan Kakar, he said that it seemed as if the imbalance problem existed within the ranks of the PML-Q as no one in the coalition government had complained of it in the cabinet.

The MMA leader, rejecting the charges of the PML-Q leader that merit was violated while appointing school teachers in Pishin district, said that the MMA ministers had been strictly directed to recruit only the deserving candidates in the government departments, specially the education department.

DEMO: The members of the Wapda hydro workers union staged a protest demonstration in front of the press club on Saturday against the retrenchment policy.

The workers chanted slogans against the government and in favour of the charter of demands of the union.

Mohammad Ramzan Achakzai, Saeed Mohammad Lehri and Haji Mohammad Ashraf spoke on the occasion.

They were critical of the prime minister for ignoring the labour class of the province.

They demanded of the government to reactivate the closed mills in the province and efforts should be made to restart Shiekh Mandhi thermal powerhouse.