QUETTA, Dec 11: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) secretary-general Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidari on Tuesday advised the Baloch nationalist groups to contest polls to strengthen democracy in the country.

He said that the politics of boycott would only benefit Gen Musharraf and his lackeys.

Addressing a press conference here at the MPA hostel, he said the central parliamentary board of the party had authorised the provincial chapters to enter into seat adjustment with other parties at the district level.

Maulana Haidari said the JUI (F) candidates were part of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and would contest polls on the slogans of ‘enforcement of Shariah’.

He said that if people reposed trust in their candidates and they got majority, they would present the Hisba bill in the National and provincial assemblies.

The JUI leader said the Jan 8 polls would be directly contested between the religious alliance that wanted Islamic laws and liberal parties that favoured westernisation.

He said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman had always remained clear on the participation in the polls and some of our colleagues in the MMA were confused, but now except the Jamaat-i-Islam, other groups were also contesting it.

Maulana Haidari said that the central parliamentary board had approved the list announced by Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani, provincial amir of the party on Nov 23 pertaining to the award of tickets to candidates to contest polls on 14 National assembly seats and 51 Balochistan assembly seats.