MARDAN, Aug 22: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) provincial Amir Senator Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan has said that Muslims are being forced to take up guns under a conspiracy to malign them so that military action against them could be justified.

Addressing a workers’ convention here on Wednesday, Maulana Gul said the JUI was struggling for the implementation of Sharia in the country through constitutional and legal means. He said the anti-Islam forces were using violence to achieve their objective which would only defame the religion and all Muslims would be declared terrorists.

He said the MMA had proved in the NWFP that the reins of power could be controlled only through the ballot and not by bullets. He added that during the four and a half years rule, it was proved that ulema were the best administrators.

Maulana Gul said the provincial government had introduced reforms to almost all departments and free books were distributed among students of public sector schools.

He said that before the MMA rule in the province, steps were taken to put the education sector into the hands of the NGOs, while a notification regarding introduction of music classes had also been issued.

He alleged that such steps were aimed at making the new generation available to the foreign forces and drain out religion from their minds.

Maulana Gul deplored that leaders such as Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and Asfandyar Wali were helping out Gen Pervez Musharraf in implementing the alleged western agenda of liberalising the society.