PESHAWAR, Aug 31: The combined opposition in the NWFP Assembly has submitted a requisition with the speaker's chamber here on Tuesday for summoning a fresh session to discuss a nine-point agenda.

Leader of opposition Shahzada Mohammad Gustasap along with Bashir Ahmed Bilour of the Awami National Party, Abdul Akbar Khan of the People's Party Parliamentarians, Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao of the Pakistan People's Party, Anwar Kamal Marwat of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and Zar Gul Khan of the PML (Q) submitted a requisition, signed by 42 MPAs, to the Speaker's secretariat.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Gustasap said that the Combined Opposition had always extended a helping hand to the provincial government in the past to get the people's collective problems solved, but, the provincial government had never appreciated their political role.

He said they would continue their support on a positive issue to the Muttahida Majlisi-i-Amal government, but at the same time the opposition would not tolerate excluding their areas from the umbrella schemes.

He criticised the role of the Shariat Council, a non-elected body, which was playing a watchdog role in the affairs of NWFP Assembly and imposing its will in the shape of Islamic laws on the people.

He said they would not allow an unconstitutional body to outshine the role of provincial assembly, the sole legislative body of the province. The opposition leader said all the parliamentary groups in the assembly had unanimously adopted the Shariat Bill in the assembly but the government had failed to implement the Islamic Shariat in the province.

Mr Gustasap said the MMA leadership itself was not clear how the modalities of Shariat would be interpreted and enforced in an uneven and changing society like that found in NWFP province.

Mr Gustasap denied that the opposition was trying to dislodge the present government, instead they wanted to give full time to the MMA to complete its tenure in the power.

"We want stability of the Durrani government to get our voters' problems solved. We have extended our full support to it since its formation and continue to support it in the future," he added.

He criticised the MMA's political role centre and urged it to play a positive role instead of bargaining on certain issues with President Pervez Musharraf. He asked the MMA leadership to extend its full support to president without making any pre-requisites.

He said they had also submitted a nine-point agenda, including debate on Shariat Bill, district development scheme, elections of Ushar and Zakat committees, transfers and postings, law and order situation, unemployment and soaring price-hike in NWFP.

The provincial government, he said, had failed to solve any of the people's problems since its coming to power. Instead it had engaged itself in secondary issues like pulling down billboards and intimidating poor singers and musicians, he added.