PESHAWAR, Nov 3: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Friday that the United States wanted to create anarchy in Pakistan by bombing innocent people in Bajaur Agency.

Speaking at a protest rally organised by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, the Maulana termed the uprising in Afghanistan a freedom struggle and said: “American and Nato forces cannot prolong their occupation and will leave Afghanistan soon.”

He said commanders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation had stated that their forces were facing tough resistance.

Provincial ministers and MNAs also attended the rally.

Workers of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and of a proscribed organisation also held protest meetings in the city against the Bajaur incident.

Maulana Fazl said that talks between elders and the administration of the Bajaur Agency were under way and both sides were about to sign an agreement when the US hit the seminary, killing children and innocent students.

He denied a government claims that the seminary was used as a training camp for militants. He said the US had tried to sabotage peace efforts in the area by bombing the seminary.

He urged people to unite and said the struggle against imperialist forces would continue. He said the US was hatching a conspiracy to break away the tribal areas from Pakistan.

Our Kohat correspondent adds: Hundreds of armed tribesmen staged a protest meeting in Darra Adamkhel against the killing of the seminary students, warning the perpetrators of swift revenge.

The meeting was held by the Jamaat-i-Islami and addressed by NMA from Bajaur Agency Sahibzada Haroonur Rashid, who has handed over his resignation from the National Assembly to his party chief after the incident.

Mr Rashid told Dawn on telephone that he would deliver his final speech in the National Assembly on Nov 10, after which his resignation would become effective.

He said that the US with the help of President Pervez Musharraf was spreading terrorism by killing innocent people.

He said he had proof that the students killed in the seminary were not involved in any military training and that the bombs were dropped by US planes.

He said that had the seminary been used for training, weapons and ammunition would have been found there instead of limbs of the children.

He said the government was lying to cover up its mistake and it had no proof of its claim.

“The brutal murder of innocent people will be avenged to stop further bloodshed of the tribesmen in the name of the so-called war against terror,” he said.

He demanded that President Musharraf should be removed from his post and tried for the murder of hundreds of innocent people in the tribal areas. He vowed that Islamabad would soon be freed from agents of the US who wanted to destabilise the country.

Jamaat-i-Islami deputy secretary-general Zarnoor Afridi said the US was afraid of the Pakistani tribesmen who had played a key role in defeating the erstwhile USSR. He said the US wanted to disrupt peace and divide the tribesmen to win its war in Afghanistan.

He expressed fear that such incidents had caused division in the army and the country was being pushed towards a civil war because of the wrong national and foreign policies of President Musharraf.

Rallies were also held in Khyber Agency, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Swabi and other districts.