LAHORE, March 9: The Awami National Party (ANP) favours signing of the NPT and the CTBT. "The government should neither bow before the MMA pressure nor link the issue with New Delhi's attitude and instead should only watch for national interests," secretary-general Ehsan Wyne told newsmen here on Tuesday.

He believed that signing of the pacts would improve national economy as countries like Japan were ready to extend huge financial aid as a reward. Referring to MMA's threat to launch a protest drive in case the government signed the pacts, he said the religious alliance should have initiated the movement when they were facilitating election of a serving army general to presidency.

He said the government must not be anxious over the threat because religious elements had never been able to launch a successful movement without the help of democratic forces.

He alleged that as the alliance comprised prosperous people, they were ignoring the plight of the down-trodden who had sacrificed their health and education to pay the cost of acquiring the nuclear capability.

Alleging the religious parties were agents of the United States, Mr Wyne said these were waging a fake fight against Washington otherwise these had always been supporting Uncle Sam.

Supporting the process of talks for solving the Kashmir issue, Mr Wyne said people had found that wars had failed to settle the decades-old dispute and now they wanted to try negotiations for the purpose.

He urged the government not to allow any individual or party to take up arms in the name of Kashmir failing which the solidarity of the country would be at stake.

Answering a question, he said ANP MPAs would never support the Hisba Act likely to be tabled by the NWFP government in the provincial assembly, saying it would destroy the judicial system. Mr Wyne said his party had voted for Shariat Bill in the NWFP Assembly because it believed that the MMA would not and could never implement the Shariat.