PESHAWAR, Nov 28: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad said on Friday a steering committee of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) would finalize the programme to launch an anti-government campaign next month, if the ruling party failed to table a constitutional amendment bill before parliament.

Speaking at an Eid Milan party organized by the Peshawar district Jamaat-i-Islami at Shahi Bagh here, Mr Hussain maintained that if the ruling party did not honour its commitment made during negotiations with the MMA over the Legal Framework Order, the alliance would have no option but to launch a mass contact drive and protest campaign against the government on December 18. He said the MMA would not extend the deadline.

The MMA leader also accused the federal government of hoodwinking the opposition parties, saying Gen Pervez Musharraf was the main hurdle in the success of government-opposition talks. He said the president wanted to run the country through dictatorial ways.

Qazi Hussain Ahmad criticized the campaign against the religious organizations in the country and condemned President Musharraf’s role in this regard. He said the US-led coalition was depriving Muslims of their basic rights as Muslims were being made the worst target of their so-called war on terrorism.