MARDAN, Sept 29: President of the NWFP chapter of the Muslim Lawyers Forum (MLF), Sher Mohammad Khan, on Wednesday criticized the MMA for unnecessarily making an issue of president's uniform at a time when the country was serious problems like terrorism and economic improvement.

Speaking at a press conference at the Mardan Press Club on, he said the MMA leaders deliberately avoided the issue of shedding of uniform at the time they were holding negotiations over the 17th amendment.

He said President Musharraf should not shed his uniform till the problem of terrorism was resolved. Mr Khan said the MMA had pushed the country, particularly the province, 50 years back as it had done nothing for the betterment of the people, while the NWFP became a sanctuary for terrorists and fundamentalists.

He criticized both the governor and the chief minister, who, he said, belonged to the southern parts of the NWFP and were diverting funds reserved for Mardan and Swabi on unimportant schemes in Kohat and Bannu, while no development work had been initiated in these districts.

He stated that majority of roads, streetlights and sewerage lines in these districts had broken, creating problems for the people, but the MMA government was not paying any attention to rectify the situation.

Mr Khan also criticized the tehsil municipal officer of Mardan for allegedly misbehaving with local people and demanded his immediate transfer. He warned that if the demand was not met, people would stage a protest in front of the municipal office.

The MLF president maintained that democracy could not take roots in Pakistan because feudalism could not be abolished here, while in India it was abolished soon after the partition and that was why democratic institutions were strengthened there.