LAHORE, March 3: Believing that the Wana issue can be resolved peacefully, the NWFP government has taken up a few of its suggestions with the federal authorities, MMA secretary-general Maulana Fazlur Rahman told reporters here on Wednesday.

Answering a question, he said a decision about launching a protest movement against the Wana military operation would be taken by supreme council of the alliance on March 6.

However, he said, an attempt was being made to extinguish the war flames in tribal areas and save the country from anarchy. He denied rumours about the presence of Al Qaeda men or Osama bin Laden in the area. He said Taliban had never gone against Pakistan, but the incumbent government's pro-US policy was turning them into enemies.

About the presence of foreigners in the tribal areas, he said Mujahideen from foreign countries had settled in the area bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan after a 13-year war against the Soviet Union, and married local girls. Action against these people would create problems for their families, he argued.

About nuclear scientists' issue, he said the scientists had sympathies of the MMA, which also protested their humiliation. However, he said, the alliance could not take the issue any farther because neither the scientists nor the government was divulging the real situation.

He emphasized the need for a better coordination among various political parties for opposing government's measures that could harm the national solidarity.

He claimed that the MMA was re-establishing its links with the ARD because, he believed, the future of both the alliances was same. Referring to ARD's criticism of MMA's role in bringing about the 17th amendment, he said, if the amendment had benefited Gen Musharraf, the ARD policy was also benefiting the army ruler.

Answering a question, he said the MMA had not yet considered an anti-Musharraf drive. However, if any party started a mass movement, the religious alliance would support it.

He said the MMA would also oppose the National Security Council bill in the parliament. Referring to the Quetta incident, the Maulana demanded action against the Balochistan inspector-general of police for his failure to check terrorism. He wondered why Quetta was always made a target by terrorists.

The MMA leader said he had been invited to dine with British Foreign Minister Jack Straw on Thursday. He said he would present MMA's point of view on national politics if the topic came under discussion at the meeting.