HYDERABAD, Nov 16: Jamaat-i-Islami deputy chief Prof Ghafoor Ahmed has said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf has agreed to shed his uniform by the end of this year.

Speaking at an Eid Millan party hosted by the local chapter of the Jamaat-i-Islami here on Monday night, he said that the Jamali government had signed such an agreement with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and therefore, the nation should not be hoodwinked on the issue.

He said the rulers had not legislated laws except those conferring more powers and fringe benefits on themselves.

Prof Ghafoor said that the agreement was on record under which Gen Musharraf had unequivocally agreed to shed his uniform by Dec 31, 2004.

He said those signed the agreement from the government side include two former prime ministers, Mir Zafarullah Jamali and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, and Senator S.M. Zafar, advocate, and from the opposition side Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Liaquat Baloch and Hafiz Hussain Ahmed.

He said if the president was now to renege on his promise it would be tantamount to an insult of parliament and a cruel joke with the nation.

He said the adoption of a bill in parliament in favour of uniform was illegal.

Prof Ghafoor said the lawmakers had done nothing at all to mitigate the suffering of the masses.

He said millions of people were forced to survive below the poverty line.

He said Muslims had celebrated Eidul Fitr and offered prayers under the shadow of bayonets.

He said this was not witnessed anywhere else in the Muslim world.

The MMA senator was of the view that the nation had never won freedom and added that four military governments were imposed on the country and the civilian governments had to work under the army pressure.

He regretted that even the superior judiciary gave legitimacy to military governments under the law of necessity.

This is the reason, Prof Ghafoor said, the people had lost faith in the judiciary.

Prof Ghafoor said the general was punishing the entire nation for the prime minister's action who had rightly changed the chief of army staff.