PESHAWAR, July 13: The leader of opposition in the NWFP Assembly, Shahzada Gustasip said on Monday that the opposition would oppose the proposed Hasba Act, because the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal could misuse it for its own political gains.

Speaking at the press club's 'meet the press' programme, Mr Gustasip alleged that the MMA wanted to set up a parallel judicial system to target its opponents. He said the opposition would not allow the MMA to get the bill passed easily.

He said the MMA was raising "non-issues" to hoodwink people. "The MMA government should divert its energies to eradicating poverty, controlling unemployment and stemming lawlessness," he said.

Referring to the Wana operation, he alleged that the MMA had not only betrayed tribesmen but also hoodwinked the people on the country. After a government-sponsored briefing on the operation, the MMA had ditched the tribesmen and now it was avoiding discussion on the issue, he said.

The opposition had always sided with the government on Shariat, the National Finance Commission, hydro-electric power profit and other collective issues but it would not allow the MMA to adopt one-sided measures on the system of governance, he said.

He said the opposition had so played a constructive role in the assembly and extended support to the NWFP government in the larger interest of the province. He advised the government to take all political parties into confidence on the proposed Hasba Bill.

He said the opposition would not allow the government to tamper with the political and judicial system. It would be a joke if one province drifted from the national political system in the name of a punitive system, he said.