QUETTA, Sept 26: Qazi Hussain Ahmed, acting president of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), said on Sunday that the issue of uniform had become a prestige point for the religious alliance and it would not compromise on president in uniform.

Speaking at a press conference here, he said that according to the Constitution, when a government servant could not be elected member of the National Assembly, similarly the army chief also could not remain president of the country.

"The uniform issue is now our prestige and honour point, and we will protect our honour at all costs," Qazi Hussain said, adding that all peaceful measures would be used for the removal of a uniformed president.

He said the MMA had singed an accord with the government on the issue of military uniform of the president and it was part of the 17th Amendment to the Constitution. But now the situation had changed and the MMA was accountable to the people of the country who had voted for the alliance.

Qazi Hussain Ahmed said that reducing the five-year term of military uniform to one year and not accepting the National Security Council as part of the Constitution was a big success of the MMA.

"Through signing the accord on the 17th Amendment, the MMA upheld the supremacy of parliament," he said, adding that under the amendment, Gen Prevez Musharraf could not hold the office of president and that of the Chief of Army Staff at the same time, after Dec 31.

"If Gen Musharraf will not honour his commitment and retain military uniform, it will be an act of revolt against the Constitution," Qazi Hussain Ahmed said. However, the leader said that if he shed military uniform according to the 17th Amendment, the MMA would accept him constitutional president, but would continue to oppose his polices.

The MMA central leader rejected the resolution of Punjab and Sindh assemblies requesting Gen Musharraf to retain both the offices even after Dec 31. He said the NWFP assembly had already adopted a resolution asking the president to retain one post while the MMA and other opposition parties did not allowed PML members and Chief Minister Jam Yousuf to move such a resolution in the Balochistan assembly.

The MMA would strongly oppose this resolution if the PML members tried to move it again in the Balochistan assembly, he said. The MMA leader announced that if Gen Musharraf did not honour his commitment, the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal would launch a protest movement with the help of other political parties and democratic forces. The drive would continue unless the president shed his uniform.

During Ramazan, a public mobilization programme would be launched in the country and after Eid big public meetings would be arranged in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and other cities of the country.

He strongly condemned Gen Pervez Musharraf and his pro-American polices and asked the people to stand up against what he said anti-people policies of President Musharraf.

In reply to a question, Qazi Hussain said the MMA had accepted the uniformed president for one year just to give a safe passage to the army to return to the barracks. Other parties, who were criticizing the MMA leadership for accepting the 17th Amendment, had also made compromises on various steps taken by Gen Prevez Musharraf, he claimed.

Answering another question, he said those who would not support the movement against president in uniform and polices of Gen Musharraf would remain sitting in their houses. He claimed that the people would support the MMA in its anti-Musharraf policies. He said the MMA would contact all political parties to seek support in this move.

The MMA leader said he had a meeting with former prime minister Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif in Jeddah who had invited him at a launch. According to Qazi Hussain, Mr Sharif discussed with him political situation of the country and decided to struggle jointly to get rid of the present regime.

He said Nawaz Sharif had asked his party leaders in Pakistan to extend all help and cooperation to the MMA in the drive against uniform. In reply to another question, the MMA acting chief said certain elements were trying to develop differences between him and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, but they would not succeed in their designs. "We are together and will remain together in future," Qazi Hussain Ahmed announced.