ISLAMABAD, July 15: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and Ittehad Tanzeemat Deenia (ITMD), a conglomerate of five Wafaqul Madaris, on Sunday called upon the government to immediately reopen Lal Masjid and allow academic activities in Jamia Hafsa.

Speaking at a meeting, MMA and ITMD leaders linked the sudden jump in suicide attacks in Fata and the NWFP to the Lal Masjid operation.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, MMA secretary-general Maulana Fazlur Rahman said the religious leadership was of the view that Pakistan was not the right place for suicide bombing and militant activities to achieve political objectives, including enforcement of Sharia.

Replying to a question, he said they were in a position to influence the youth to shun their extremist activities. The Maulana said: “We are against troop deployment in the NWFP’s settled areas as the provincial government had made it clear on the federal government that it was capable to handle any situation.”

MMA president Qazi Hussain Ahmed presided over the meeting. Qari Saeedur Rahman, Sahibzada Abul Khair Mohamamd Zubair, Liaquat Baloch, Maulana Abdul Malik, Allama Ramazan Tauqir, Dr Ataur Rahman, Maulana Rehmatullah Khalil, Rana Shafiq Pasroori and Allama Abdul Jalil Naqvi attended the meeting.

They unanimously rejected the standpoint of Gen Musharraf on the issue and said it was intriguing that he ordered operation before a decision of the Supreme Court which had taken suo motu notice of the seige.

The meeting called for an inquiry by the Supreme Court into the circumstances in which the military operation was ordered by leaving the course of talks.

The meeting expressed anguish over the disappearance of a large number of students during the operation.