LAHORE, Jan 20: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) will observe Friday (Jan 23) as a protest day against 'weak' policies of Gen Pervez Musharraf on Kashmir issue and nuclear programme.

Peaceful demonstrations will be held and speeches will be delivered in mosques on the day while big rallies will be organized on Feb 5 to oppose 'wrong' policies of the government, MMA deputy secretary-general Liaquat Baloch told a press conference here on Tuesday.

He also demanded a National Assembly session to discuss 'anti-people' economic and internal and foreign policies of the government. Asked if the religious alliance MMA would itself try to requisition the session, he said neither the MMA nor the ARD could individually requisition the session for they did not have the required number of MNAs.

Fencing of the Line of Control and martyrdom of Kashmiri Mujahideen's leadership were the outcome of Gen Musharraf's flawed policy, he said. He said deviation of Islamabad from its principled stand of solving the issue according to the UN resolutions had sent a negative message to Kashmiris.

He claimed that detaining of nuclear scientists and their staff was a prelude to the arrest of founder of the country's nuclear programme Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan.

Blaming the government for giving in under the pressure of the continuing world media trial, he said the MMA would put up resistance against, what he said, the government's weak strategy.

He also criticized the government for conducting a military operation in the tribal belt at a time when western borders of the country were already unsafe. He termed it a ploy to turn patriotic tribesmen against Pakistan.

Defending the MMA's role in solving the constitutional crisis, he alleged that the ARD and other secular parties had a secret agenda other than the LFO.

Mr Baloch said the religious alliance could not offer its shoulders for the accomplishment of someone's personal interests. Claiming that the US had barred some opposition parties from going with the MMA, he alleged American ambassador in Pakistan Nancy Powell had reprimanded leaders of the ARD constituents which had raised slogans in parliament against Washington.Alleging that the ARD wanted wrapping up of the incumbent democratic system if it failed to strike a deal with Gen Musharraf, he said the MMA wished to end the crisis through dialogue instead of accepting a new army general.

Recalling that ARD members had taken part in the first and second reading of the 17th Amendment in parliament, Mr Baloch said the ARD MNAs boycotted the proceedings at the last stage on a signal.

Warning the ARD leaders that they should not go too far in criticizing the MMA for inking agreement with the government on the LFO, he said: "They shall remember us and need our services again."

He claimed that workers of the PPP and some allied parties were worried about their political future for they had no leadership in the country and their local leaders were spreading negative propaganda against the MMA only to keep the morale of their activists high.

Arguing that Maulana Fazlur Rahman should be the opposition leader in the National Assembly, he said the MMA already had (68) MNAs in the house more than any other opposition party while 30 MNAs from the ARD components would soon cross the floor to become part of a "Grand PPP".