February 25, 2008	Monday	Safar 17, 1429

ISLAMABAD Feb 24: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed said on Sunday that the All Parties Democratic Movement would avoid launching an agitation and give the PPP and PML-N a chance to fulfil their promise to restore the pre-emergency judiciary and the Constitution in its original form and to hold President Pervez Musharraf accountable for his actions.

Addressing a press conference at his residence here, he declined to say that he would join a lawyers’ protest rally on March 18 and said: “We will not take any step without consultation with the PML-N which has promised to restore the judges deposed on Nov 3 last year.”

The Jamaat leader condemned what he called the involvement of the US and other European countries in the process of government formation in Islamabad and asked political parties not to allow foreign interference in the country’s internal affairs.

Qazi Hussain, who is also president of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, said the religious alliance was still intact but its political role would be revived after the election of new office-bearers.

He did not agree with a questioner that the PPP-PML-N coalition was unnatural and said both the parties believed in the unity of Pakistan.

When asked if his party’s decision of boycotting the elections was wrong as a good number of JI workers hah taken part in them defying the party’s policy, he said:

“We stand by our position that the elections in the wake of suspended judiciary could not be fair and free and we don’t regret our decision.”

He said his party’s policy was not just winning parliamentary seats; it had many other agendas, including public service, moral training, education and reforming society.

The JI leader did not make any comment when it was pointed out that MMA secretary-general Maulana Fazlur Rahman had alleged that his (Qazi’s) boycott decision had caused irreparable loss to the alliance.

He said he had resigned his Senate seat and later the National Assembly seat because in his opinion he could do more constructive work remaining outside parliament.

Qazi Hussain confirmed that he had a telephonic conversation with PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and the latter sought cooperation in the formation and running of the government.