KARACHI, July 18: Legislators of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal have criticized the NWFP governor for stopping MMA president Qazi Hussain Ahmad from entering Bajaur. In a press release issued on Sunday, the legislators said that the ban was a violation of human rights.

"The ban has reinforced the view, which is fast gathering strength, that the authoritarian regime of Gen Pervez Musharraf has created an atmosphere of anxiety in the country. However, the MMA will continue its struggle against the regime," it said.

Meanwhile, Secretary General of Jamaat-i-Islami Munawwar Hasan said in a press release on Sunday that the MMA would oppose the government if it sent troops to Iraq under American pressure.

Speaking at the Qaba auditorium on Sunday, he said that the United States and its cronies were waging a war against the Islamic world. Unfortunately, he regretted, most Islamic countries appeared to be US allies.