05 July 2004	Monday	16 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

CHAKWAL, July 4: The central leader of Muttahida Majlis-i- Amal, Liaquat Baloch, on Sunday said former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali was forced to resign because he was an eyewitness to the agreement under which President Pervez Musharraf must step down as the army chief no later than December 31.

The MMA leader was talking to media persons at the residence of Mohammad Afzal in Sethi village after addressing a public gathering at Miani village.

Mr Baloch said according to the agreement, if the president did not vacate the army chief's office by the next year the MMA would launch a historical protest movement, besides staging a sit-in in Islamabad.

He said: "The Muttahida Qaumi Movement is a terrorist organization, and without curbing it law and order situation can not be improved in Karachi." The MMA leader said Wana operation was started to please the US government, adding that it must be stopped forthwith.

Mr Baloch said the MMA and the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy would field a joint candidate against the PML aspirant, Shaukat Aziz, in NA-59 Attock-III. Earlier, speaking at a public gathering, the MMA leader said Gen Pervez Musharraf was misusing his powers as the army chief, while the government had failed to protect the life and property of the people.

Criticizing the price hike, he said there was wide-spread frustration among the people. The religious parties alliance will continue to struggle for the rights of the people and will never bow before the government, he added.

CONDEMNATION: Awami Ittehad has condemned the attack on a local newspaper office and demanded registration of an FIR in the case, besides immediate arrest of the accused.

CADET COLLEGE: Construction work on Cadet College Choa Saidan Shah would start soon, it has been learnt. The federal government has approved Rs80 million project which would be completed in a period of three years.

The government has already released Rs20 million for the project. It is worth mentioning here that establishment of a cadet collage was announced by late Gen Ziaul Haq during his referendum campaign in 1984, but the project was delayed for one reason or the other.