KARACHI, Jan 18: Terming the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal an inseparable part of the present government, the Pakistan People's Party has alleged that the MMA's walkout during President Musharraf's address to the joint session of Parliament was in accordance with the president's wishes."

In a joint statement, President PPP Sindh Nisar Khoro, General Secretary Rashid Rabbani, Munawar Suherwardi and others paid tribute to opposition MNAs for their protest during the president's speech and said it was a historical protest.

"The MMA boycotted the joint session of Parliament on the president's will and gave the impression that the opposition was divided", they said adding that the people of the country knew very well that the religious parties' alliance was now a part of the coalition government after its deal over the Legal Framework Order (LFO).

Commenting on the president's speech to, the PPP Sindh leaders said there was nothing new in his address and once again he used the issue of religious intolerance and the "growing influence of his allied religious extremists parties" to seek support from the West.

They further charged that the president was himself responsible for the influence religious extremists in the country who were accorded artificial success by suppressing mainstream political parties. - PPI