SHIKARPUR, Sept 1: Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal general-secretary Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said the Legal Framework Order will not be accepted as a part of the Constitution before it is approved by parliament.

Speaking at a press conference at the Madressah Qadria here on Monday, he said his party believed in supremacy of law and wanted to settle constitutional matters, including the LFO, on the floor of the National Assembly and not out of parliament.

He said the rulers were adopting undemocratic policies to perpetuate their rule. But, he said, President Gen Pervez Musharraf would not be allowed to keep both the offices of the president and the chief of army staff.

Replying to a question, the Maulana deplored the threats of dissolving parliament and said if the president did so, he would not be able to continue his rule.

The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief said a protest movement would be launched against the unconstitutional and undemocratic policies of President Musharraf if he did not agree to settle the LFO issue in parliament. He stressed the need for strengthening the democratic system.

Referring to the Kalabagh dam, he said it was a technical issue but the president had made it a political one only to divert the attention of the people and gain some time.

He said the president should shelve Kalabagh dam and other water projects rejected by the people of the three provinces.

Answering a question, Mr Fazl said the Pakistan Muslim League-Q was the creation of the National Accountability Bureau which had given protection to its leaders though they were involved in corruption.

Earlier, the MMA leader opened the Islam Zindabad Conference, organized by the JUI, Shikarpur chapter, in the premises of the Jamia Madnia Masjid.

KHAIRPUR: Talking to party activists in Thehri on Monday, Mr Fazl said the MMA would not let Pakistan to be a colony of the US.

The Maulana maintained that the president had raised the issue of the Kalabagh dam and the Thal canal only to save his uniform and its consequences would be dangerous as he had not taken the nation into confidence.

About the return of Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto and exiled Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Nawaz Sharif to the country, he said the MMA had no objection to their return but they should face the cases pending against them.

He observed that the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy had died a natural death as the purpose for which it was formed had been fulfilled. He said the ARD now was only following an agenda to prove Ms Bhutto and Mr Sharif innocent.

SUKKUR: The JUI chief told a gathering at the Madressah Darul Fayuz, Kandhkot, on Sunday evening that the Thal canal and Kalabagh dam projects should be shelved as their construction would prove harmful for the unity among the provinces. He said the JUI activists were ready to sacrifice their lives in case the projects were continued with.

Our Jacobabad correspondent adds: The MMA general-secretary said the US was spending millions of dollars in Pakistan to make Madaris secular and President Musharraf was helping it in that regard.

He said the president did not respect the Constitution and democratic values and Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali was a “puppet” prime minister.

He said President Musharraf had insulted the rain-affected people by supporting Kalabagh dam and Thal canal projects during his visit to Badin.

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