ISLAMABAD, March 15: The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) has decided to sit on the treasury benches without any pre-condition and the party is unconditionally supporting the new coalition government led by the Pakistan People’s Party.

Talking to a delegation of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists here on Saturday, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the question of power-sharing would be decided by PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

“The JUI-F will support the ANP in its effort to change the name of the NWFP,” he said.

Maulana Fazl said he had explained his party’s priorities on national issues and left the matter of his party’s role in the new government to the PPP leader.

He said that some parties had been ‘truly’ defeated in elections while others had won polls by virtue of ‘special arrangements’ under foreign diktat and his party had accepted election results despite serious reservations.

He reiterated that like the country’s foreign policy, the ongoing military operations in the NWFP and Balochistan were being carried out under external pressure. The new government, he said, ought to change the direction of national foreign policy.

“We need to revive our relations with our neighbours because Europe cannot end our isolation,” he said.

Maulana Fazl said international interest in tribal areas had increased manifold and Pakistan army was being used to get influence in those areas.

Advocating complete independence for the media, he said that media houses should be allowed to formulate code of conduct for themselves.

He urged the media to maintain neutrality.

The JUI-F chief said that while the PML-Q had indeed legislated what he called black laws during its tenure, it would now demand free press in the present situation.

He said the new coalition government should resist American pressure on the so-called war on terrorism under which the country was being forced to kill its own people.