12 January 2004	Monday	19 Ziqa'ad 1424

PESHAWAR, Jan 11: MMA secretary-general MNA Maulana Fazlur Rahman has termed the operation in South Waziristan 'terrorism' and said offering ceasefire to India and fighting its own people had become a habit of the army.

Talking to reporters on the occasion of the oath taking ceremony of the students' council of the Frontier Homeopathy Medical College here on Sunday, the MMA leader alleged that the NWFP governor was creating problems for the MMA-led government and said that he would have to leave the governorship.

The federal government, however, should exercise cautious in appointing new governor, he said, adding that the governor had exercise immense powers for the last three years and at present when he had lost part of his powers due to a democratically elected government, he had started hatching conspiracies against the provincial government.

"The new governor should not adopt a war-path with the provincial government, but should serve as a bridge between the federal and the provincial government to pave the way for a cordial atmosphere and working relationship between the two," said the Maulana Fazlur Rahman.

Regarding the operation in South Waziristan Agency, he said that the way human rights were being violated there and in Guantanamo Bay, nobody was willing to hand himself over to the army. The people, he said, knew of the disgrace they would face in the event of their arrest, therefore they avoided to court arrest.

"The ill-directed policies of the federal government had already stained our relations with neighbouring Afghanistan and now the Wana operation would create a sense of hatred and disdain among the tribesmen against the armymen," he said.

The MMA leader said that the operation was being launched just to placate the US and its allies, the consequences of which would be catastrophic. The MMA would debate the Wana operation in its next meeting.

HOMEOPATHY COLLEGE: Maulana Fazlur Rahman said that the NWFP government had accorded top priority to homeopathy and added that Rs37.4million had been allocated to establish alternative medicines centres in the province.

He said that a homeopath and a Tabib would be appointed in BPS-16 in each of the 24 districts to serve at the dispensaries. The project would run for three years and if found feasible, it would be then run on permanent basis, he said.

He said that the concept of alternate medicine was gaining currency the world over and the World Health Organization (WHO), was asking its member countries to introduce alternate medicines to expand their health delivery networks.

Earlier, the MMA leader administered oath to the office- bearers of the college students' council and hoped that the members would utilize their energies towards the promotion of homeopathy in the province.