February 16, 2006	Thursday	Muharram 17, 1427

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LAHORE, Feb 15: Leaders of the MMA and seminaries have pledged to forcefully resist the government’s decision of expelling foreign students.

They have also vowed to lend full support to each other on the issue of protest against blasphemous cartoons, appealing to the masses not to indulge in rioting during the protest for it is damaging for their cause.

MMA president Qazi Husain Ahmad told a convention of five chains of seminaries at the Jamia Naeemia here on Wednesday that they could come in a dictating position just by directing ulema of their respective schools of thought to prepare the masses for participation in the protest rallies and strike planned by the alliance in Islamabad, Lahore and other cities.

“There is no need to file requests with Gen Musharraf for amending laws regarding foreign students. You should take the legislation into your own hands (by voting to power religious parties).”

Opposition leader in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman said the rulers could represent the nation only by severing diplomatic ties with the countries where the cartoons had been published. He alleged that the US and Europe were pushing the world towards disaster through their policies.

Rejecting violence as an act that could energize the anti-Islam forces, he also urged the local seminaries to follow the protest schedule given by the MMA instead of going for a solo flight which might not be as peaceful and organized as was required. He also vowed to fight against the foreign students’ issue at all levels.

Allama Sajid Naqvi called for shunning sectarian differences and launching a joint move to occupy the policy-making centres. Otherwise, he said, religious-minded people would remain at the mercy of the forces currently manning these centres.