PESHAWAR, Aug 24: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said the country is facing more pressing issues than reinstatement of the deposed judges.

Talking to journalists at a seminary here on Sunday, he said the Frontier province was heading for disintegration and other issues needing to be addressed immediately were lawlessness, inflation and food shortage.

He said the ruling coalition had settled some important issues on July 23, including changes in foreign policy in accordance with national interests and in the policy of using force in tribal areas.

Also on Sunday, the maulana addressing the concluding session of the NWFP council of his party said: “We are opposed to use of force and support negotiations as the best way to end violence.

Saving Pakistan from an impending disaster is more important than reinstatement of the judges.”

He again said PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari was hesitating to reinstate the judges because he had to honour the pledges given to the interlocutors who had worked for getting resignation from former president Pervez Musharraf.

However, he said that Mr Zardari should honour his word if he had signed any agreement with PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif.

He said his party had an understanding with the PPP and it had nothing to do with PPP’s accord or discard with the PML-N.

Maulana Fazl said the coalition partners had decided that a joint resolution would be tabled in the National Assembly on Monday for early reinstatement of the judges.

The prime minister was to issue an executive order for reinstatement of the judges after a debate and adoption of the resolution.

He said a committee had been formed to finalise the draft of the resolution but then Mr Sharif had set a new deadline.

He said that in such a situation if Mr Zardari became president, he would neither scrape the 17th amendment nor do away with 58 (2) B.

He said that the rigid stand of Mr Sharif would only help to strengthen Mr Zardari, instead of democracy.