25 September 2004	Saturday	09 Shaban 1425

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PESHAWAR, Sept 24: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani said on Friday that the issue of president's uniform would be resolved according to the decision taken under the 17th constitutional amendment.

He said this during a visit to the Azakhel Park (Nowshera district) to inspect preparations for a three-day international conference to be held early next month. The Jamaat-i-Islami is organizing the event.

Senior Minister Sirajul Haq and other ministers accompanied the chief minister during the visit. Talking to reporters, Mr Durrani said that the central leadership of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal was concerned about the situation in South Waziristan and wanted it to be resolved through peaceful means.

He said the MMA leadership would not allow anyone to spread this conflict to other Fata agencies. The MMA leaders had always advised the federal government to solve this issue through negotiations as Islam preached peace.

The provincial government was strictly following the policies of MMA's central leadership and wanted peace in the region. Mr Durrani said that Islam was a religion of peace and terming Muslims extremists or terrorists was wrong.

It was the result of misconception of the West about Islam and its followers. He said the MMA government in the province was in favour of solving the situation in Wana through holding a dialogue.

Without naming anybody, he said that the people creating disturbances in the tribal areas would be dealt with firmly. The local ulema and other MMA leaders should join hands to face the situation boldly, he said.

Mr Durrani said that the MMA believed in a neutral approach to solve political issues but its patience should not be tested. He assured Mr Sirajul Haq, who is also the provincial amir of JI, of full cooperation in making arrangements for the congregation.

The JI management head (nazim) Maqsood Ahmed Khan and Sirajul Haq gave the NWFP chief minister a briefing on the arrangements being made for the conference. According to the JI, about 70,000 women and 200,000 men would attend the conference.

About 1,000 religious scholars have been invited from abroad to attend the moot. The guests would be accommodated in various rest houses and hotels of Peshawar, Nowshera and Islamabad. Mr Haq said that the NWFP faced lack of resources but the JI workers were working round-the-clock to prepare for the big event.