QUETTA, March 23: The Acting Central Secretary General of the Muttahida Majlis Amal Hafiz Hussain Ahmed has warned that the Wana operation would result in civil war that would be dangerous for the country's integrity and demanded that troops be withdrawn from the tribal area.

Speaking in the Wana conference under auspices of JUI-F Quetta district in Zarif Shaheed Hall of Government Science College here on Monday he announced that MMA would hold protest meetings throughout the country on March 26 to condemn the army's operation in the tribal belt.

Minister for Local Bodies Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Siraj Ahmed Agha Amroti JUI-F leader Sindh, Syed Taj Agha President Anjuman-i-Tajran, Maulana Abdul Haq Hashimi Amir of Jammat-i- Islami Balochistan and others addressed the conference.

MNA Hafiz Hussain Ahmed blasted President Musharraf's policy in Wana, which he claimed was meant to appease President Bush at the cost of loyal tribesmen, saying further, that the British government did not subdue the tribesmen during its occupation of the sub-continent, then how could the army capture South Waziristan.

He claimed that President Musharraf committed a serious mistake by stating that tough resistance faced in Wana was due to the presence of a "high value target" and that the government must know that tribesmen have traditions whereby they would neither surrender, nor hand over their guests to any one.

The MMA leader said that the tough resistance faced by the troops in Wana was occurring because the generals had trained the wanted elements in the past to wage holy war in Afghanistan, and they were being described as Mujahideen, but today the same men were being defamed as terrorists to accomplish the agenda of the Washington administration.

He accused the government for sabotaging the MMA efforts to resolve the Wana problem peacefully. He claimed that with passage of time other tribes would also come up in support of South Waziristan, and that would expand the hostilities to other tribal areas, which may lead to civil war that would endanger the country solidarity and integrity.

Hafiz Hussain said that the MMA leadership has forced the Speaker to discuss the Wana situation in the National Assembly on March 25, and that on Friday, the MMA would hold demonstrations throughout the country to express solidarity with South Waziristan tribesmen.

The conference adopted three resolutions, Condemning the Wana operation and demanding to withdraw troops immediately, The assassination of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in an Israeli missile attack was strongly condemned, and demanded of the government to recover party member Hafiz Saeedur Rehman, who has been missing for the last few days.