KARACHI, Nov 25: Central leader of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and Jamat-i-Islami Secretary General Syed Munawar Hasan on Thursday maintained that every act of President Pervez Musharraf will be considered "illegal and unconstitutional" if he did not leave the office of army chief before Dec 31, 2004.

Speaking to the members of the Karachi Bar Association at bar room, he said the MMA gave President Gen Musharraf a "safe passage" through 17th constitutional amendment, warning that if the promise made to the nation was not fulfilled, a strong protest campaign would be launched in the country.

He said army's role was stated in the Constitution that it should focus on safeguarding geographical borders of the country. He told the lawyers that the MMA's protest movement would continue for supremacy of the Parliament, and restoring genuine democracy in the country, indicating that the alliance's future line of action would be announced at Dec 19 public meeting in Rawalpindi.

On talks with the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy, he said talks were in progress, and the ARD leaders had been invited to participate in the MMA's public meetings to be held in Karachi, Multan, Lahore and Rawalpindi. He stressed the need for a joint struggle against the regime by all political forces in the country.

On military operation in South Waziristan, he contended it was launched only to appease the US, demanding it should be stopped. He criticized economic and foreign policies of the government and accused it of taking dictation from IMF, adding that bypassing the UN resolutions on Kashmir was against aspiration of Pakistani and Kashmiri people.

He accused the government of remaining silent on killings of the Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Thailand, and deplored that present rulers were proud of being US ally. Earlier, the KBA President Mehmoodul Hasan also spoke. -PPI