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PESHAWAR, Sept 1: NWFP Senior Minister and provincial chief of the Jamaat-i-Islami Sirajul Haq has said that the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal is an asset of the Muslim world and the only united forum against imperialism in Pakistan. Hence, its unity is the need of the hour.
He was talking to MNA Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali, MPAs Maulana Abdur Rehman and Maulana Jehangir Khan and newly-elected local government representatives during his visit to Chitral on Wednesday.
He said that the MMA would come up to the expectations of the Pakistani nation and Muslim Ummah. He said that Ulema were benefactors of people and no power on earth could separate them from people.
He said that secular policies were detrimental to national interests and tantamount to reflecting people’s will.
He said that despite participating in the local body elections in separate capacities, the candidates belonging to component parties of the MMA would obviously be an integral part of the alliance.
He said that the MMA took part in the local body elections for the first time but emerged as an effective movement.
REPORT LAUNCH: Meanwhile, speaking at the launching ceremony of a report on improving social delivery services at local level in the NWFP and Punjab, Mr Haq said that the component parties of the MMA had proved by actively participating in the elections that they wanted to make the local government system a success.
The ceremony was arranged by the Asian Development Bank and British Department for International Development at a hotel in Peshawar.
The minister said that the MMA considered the new system a nursery of emerging political leadership. However, he added, the centre and provinces had to realize their responsibilities in this respect and had to come up to the public expectations, otherwise the new system would fail.
He said that it would be a great national service if people were provided education, healthcare, water supply and other civic facilities at their doorsteps under the new system.
That was why, he said, the NWFP government had ensured transfer of ‘required’ powers and resources to the local governments in the recent past and decentralized health and education facilities.
However, he said, the provincial government still faced enormous challenges due to lack of powers and facilities.—PPI
