MANSEHRA, Feb 22: The central leader of the Muttahidda Majlis-i-Amal and the chief of his own faction of the JUI, Maulana Samiul Haq on Sunday said he would not accept any slot in the NWFP cabinet, and that he didn't "want to board a sinking ship".

Speaking at the prize distribution ceremony of a madressah at the Mansehra Press Club auditorium, he said that he did not want to be blamed for breaking up the alliance of six religious parties, but that two of the component parties of the MMA were out to damage the alliance by claiming themselves to be "bigger parties" and the others as "smaller ones".

The leader of the opposition in the NWFP assembly, Shahzada Mohammad Gustasap Khan, deputy speaker of the NWFP assembly Ikramullah Shahid, MMA MNA from Karachi Moulana Qari Gul Rehman Hazarvi, MNA Moulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani and Mufti Nizamud Din Shamzai also spoke on the occassion.

Sami said that the last general election was contested at the platfrom of the MMA and not on the individual platform of the JUI (F) or Jamat-i-Islami, therefore, the question of smaller and bigger components does not arise.

He said that these elements have thrown the agenda of enforcement of Shariah in the cold storage. He said, I had asked the MMA leadership to take the benifit of the situation arising out of the LFO issue and to compell the rulers to pass a Shariah Bill already pending in the parliament.

He lamented that the MMA leaders struck a deal over the LFO with the government in a hurry and did obtain the benifit of the situation for the purpose of Islamisation.

Referring to the ongoing operation in South Waziristan agency, Moulana Samiul Haq said that the US forces were busy in making house-to-house searches in Wana, and even the modesty of the women is not taken into account.

He warned that if the people of the area took up guns in their hands, the country would once again face a 1971-like situation. He said that the prime duty of the ulema at the moment should be safeguarding the idea logical frontiers and the defense capability of the country. Maulana Sami said that the rulers, instead of following the US agenda, should learn to differentiate between "Jihad" and "Terrorism".

Like Haj and daily prayers, Jihad becomes inevitable in a situation that is prevailing in the country and it does not nessasitate obtaining permissiom from anyone for launching a jihad, he maintained.

He alleged that President Gen Pervez Musharaf is fulfulling the US agenda by branding Jihad as terrorism and is busy in demoralising the nuclear scientists of the country.