ISLAMABAD, July 30: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) on Monday claimed that President Gen Pervez Musharraf could not seek a second term as president and announced that it would resist any such attempt. It also declared that the reported understanding reached between Gen Musharraf and Pakistan People’s Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto was a big blow to the democratic forces of the country.

The MMA said it was preparing for the coming general elections and had directed all district and provincial organisations to send their lists of candidates for allotment of tickets to its central parliamentary board.

The six-party religious alliance said it would oppose the proposed amendment to allow Gen Musharraf’s re-election even if he doffs his uniform unless he undergoes the compulsory two-year ban on taking part in politics.

Top MMA leaders met Qazi Hussain Ahmed and decided to treat his resignation from the National Assembly as his personal decision. They said the alliance’s MPs would follow the decisions of the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) on the issue of resignation.

Defending the MMA’s cooperation with the government in the past on the Legal Framework Order (LFO), Secretary-General Maulana Fazlur Rehman claimed that the main objective was to get rid of President Musharraf’s uniform.

He alleged that Ms Bhutto was joining hands with Gen Musharraf on the dictates of the US and said the PPP leader was providing protection to a military dictator in her lust for power, whereas all other opposition parties were struggling against military rule.

About the number of people killed during the Lal Masjid military operation, he said: “It is difficult to give an exact figure but the students and teachers were said to number in thousands inside the two buildings before the start of the operation. The government said it had set free all female students except the wife and daughters of Maulana Abdul Aziz, which is not correct.”

Earlier, briefing reporters on the decisions made in the MMA meeting, Deputy Secretary-General Liaquat Baloch said the present political situation in the country was a threat to the nation’s solidarity. The MMA, he said, would continue its struggle from the APDM platform for the enforcement of Sharia, legislation for a lasting change and confronting army’s role in politics.

The alliance leaders also expressed concern over the new US legislation placing restrictions on assistance for Pakistan.

Our Lahore Correspondent adds: The MMA’s supreme council meeting in Islamabad on Monday was held in an unpleasant atmosphere with a majority of members criticising the resignation of Qazi Hussain Ahmad from the National Assembly, it is learnt.

They termed the resignation a violation of the decision taken by the 24-member policy-making body of the alliance. According to participants, Maulana Mohammad Khan Shirani and Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, both from the JUI (F) went to the extent of asking Qazi Hussain to step down as the alliance chief. Others said the Qazi had taken a drastic decision without taking the MMA or his own Jamaat-i-Islami into confidence. They were of the view that the resignation had done no service to the cause of the six-party alliance.

Qazi Hussain reportedly reacted sharply to the criticism and said he was ready to quit the MMA office. He said he had resigned from the parliament ‘conscientiously’ in the aftermath of the Lal Masjid episode.

Most participants, however, are reported to have said that Qazi Hussain quitting the MMA presidentship and adversely affect any future anti-regime campaign of the APDM. Eventually, the issue was resolved ‘amicably’ with the participants felicitating each other that they had once again saved the democratic struggle from going astray.