March 12, 2007	Monday	Safar 22, 1428

PESHAWAR, March 11: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf is creating a political crisis by floating the idea of extending the tenure of the assemblies.

Speaking at the concluding session of the general council of the NWFP chapter of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) on Sunday, he said that under the 1973 Constitution assembly’s tenure could be extended for one year in case of war with another country or internal crisis.

“Gen Musharraf is trying to prepare the ground for imposing emergency and then extend the tenure of the existing assemblies,” he added.

Criticising the suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Maulana Fazl said that dictators always considered judges of the apex court a threat to their rule.

He said that a judge who opposed the execution of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had to leave the country forever owing to life threat.

The JUI-F chief said that the government of Nawaz Sharif also attacked the Supreme Court to suppress judiciary.

Maulana Fazl supported the peace deal in North Waziristan Agency and said that direct confrontation between army and tribesmen could pose a serious threat to the sovereignty of the country. The US was trying to sabotage the peace deal, while PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto was opposing the agreement to appease her foreign masters, he added.

He said the situation in the tribal areas was directly affecting settled areas of the NWFP and Gen Musharraf was providing opportunity to Nato forces to attack Waziristan.

The opposition leader said that the US Congress’ move to block military and economic assistance to Pakistan would have serious repercussions.

He said that some elements had penetrated in the ranks of the Mujhideen (local militants) to defame them.

Regarding changes in the curriculum, he said, the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal would not let the government to do so.