KOHAT, Oct 20: The chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has condemned what he called media trial of his party and categorically denied any secret deal or negotiations with President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

Talking to Dawn on Saturday, Maulana Fazl said he had serious differences with Jamaat-i-Islami which had betrayed him during the presidential election on the resignation issue.

He, however, said the two parties would contest the general elections from the MMA platform.

He claimed that the APDM decision of resignations before and even after the presidential election had not been correct, and time had proved that the stance of the JUI-F was correct.

He said he did not believe in politics of resignations and, therefore, did not agree on the issue for the past three years.

He said the media had failed to understand his views and created some misunderstanding among the people though in fact he had challenged the election of the president by present assemblies.

The JUI leader said that as compared to other parties, he staked the post of the Leader of the Opposition and governments in the NWFP and Balochistan and wanted to use these platforms against the government, instead of leaving the ground and giving the federal government a free hand.

He claimed that unlike the PML-N, the PPP and Tehrik-i-Insaaf, he had serious ideological differences with the government.

He said wrong policies of the US and its war against terrorism and the support given to it by Pakistan were dragging the world back into the Cold War era.

He said China and Russia would not remain silent to US intervention in Central Asian States and Afghanistan, with a pro-US government in Pakistan.

He demanded immediate withdrawal of armed forces from tribal areas, claiming that army’s presence was fuelling extremism in the area.

He said the tribesmen wanted their right of governing the area guaranteed in the Constitution.

He expressed the fear for the life of every politician who posed a challenge to President Musharraf, saying the country had witnessed the worst law and order situation under him.

He urged the government to resolve all issues through talks instead of using force.