ISLAMABAD, Dec 31: Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Friday warned the opposition that the government would deal with an 'iron hand' if it tried to create a law and order situation.

"They can satisfy their cravings for public rallies but anyone trying to take the law into his own hands will be dealt with severely," the minister said at a news conference at the press information department auditorium.

He was ostensibly responding to the opposition's announcement to launch a struggle against the decision of President Gen Pervez Musharraf to retain his army post till 2007.

The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal would be responsible if democracy was derailed as a result of its agitation, he said, adding that democracy was moving forward and it should be allowed to flourish.

He refused to respond when asked whether the tenor of his statement should be construed as a threat to the provincial governments of the MMA in the NWFP and Balochistan or if the government was planning a crackdown on the alliance's leadership, but said that any step detrimental to democracy would not be tolerated.

Sheikh Rashid said that after having successfully dealt with complex international issues, it was time for the government to focus on solving pressing domestic problems.

He hinted that the government had established links with some opposition parties. He, however, refrained from naming the parties. In reply to a question, he reiterated the government's stand that general election would be held in 2007.

He said the MMA never got tired of talking about the supremacy of parliament but refused to respect the decision of parliament which adopted the dual-office bill empowering the president to keep his army post.

Pakistan was passing through a crucial juncture and it was the need of the hour that the president should continue donning two hats to guarantee continuity of measures taken for the security and economic development of the country, he said.

He alleged that the MMA wanted to pitch innocent people against the armed forces by politicizing the Wana issue. He claimed that if the armed forces of the country had not acted, US forces could have intervened in the area.

He said that those who were opposing the president's military post should remember that they had supported the 8th Amendment to the constitution, allowing former president Gen Ziaul Haq to keep the post of army chief for a decade.

He said the LFO had become a part of the constitution after the passage of the 17th Amendment, and after the president's address to the nation the stock market had registered a record surge to 6,280 points.

He brushed aside an impression that the government had compromised on the nuclear programme. He said the country's missile and nuclear programmes had advanced considerably. He said the nation's stand on Kashmir would be protected at all costs.