KARACHI, June 25: The newly-formed Awami Muslim League chief, Shaikh Rashid Ahmed, has said that the present government will have to decide whether it is with the Taliban or the US if it wants to resolve the problems in tribal areas.

He was talking to newsmen after meeting the Muttahida Qaumi Movement leaders at the MQM headquarters on Wednesday.

Expressing serious concern over the state of affairs and economic instability in the country, he said that some international powers were isolating Pakistan from rest of the world by linking it with Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran.

“For resolving problems in tribal areas, the government should decide either it want to support the US or the Taliban, otherwise, both of them will join hands to target Pakistan,” he observed.

He said the Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) were not serious in resolving the judges’ issue as they were using it for their own political gains. He said he wanted the reinstatement of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry but one must not forget that he had also taken oath under the provisional constitution order.

The seasoned politician, who lost Feb 18 general election, was of the view that all political and religious parties should adopt the politics of reconciliation otherwise the country would face a serious crisis.

The days of the present government were numbered, he said, adding that it would complete its time by October or November. He ruled out impeachment of President Pervez Musharraf, saying that the present coalition did not have required number of 294 parliamentarians.

Terming the reconciliation between the PPP and the MQM a wise decision, he said Shahbaz Sharif became chief minister of Punjab only with the blessing of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

Muttahida leader Dr Farooq Sattar observed that the country was heading towards economic destabilisation and the government must take note of the deteriorating economic and financial situation. He said the government should accord priority to political and economic progress, countering extremism and elimination of feudal system.