KOHAT, Dec 29: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has decided in principle that if Gen Musharraf relinquishes the posts of the president and the army chief, the alliance will lend every support to the government in relaxing the two-year bar on the government servants on participating in political activities and electing him as the head of the state.

Talking to Dawn after a divisional convention of the Jamaat-i-Islami here on Sunday, the provincial vice-president of the MMA and Amir of NWFP JI, Prof Ibrahim, said: “If the president wants to get the MMA’s support, he will have to do away with the Legal Framework Order and shed uniform, but we would not support the prime minister during the vote of confidence.”

He said the alliance offered all support to the Jamali government to save it from the “blackmail” of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, but the president, who had become a symbol of unconstitutional and unlawful acts, preferred to select a person who was wanted in 29 criminal cases, including the high profile murder of Hakim Mohammad Said.

Due to appointment of a controversial person like Dr Ishratul Ibad as Sindh governor and Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali’s direct interference in the election of the deputy speaker and chief minister of Sindh, the MMA was forced to withdraw support to the government, he said.

He said: “The president and the newly installed government are hell bent on destroying the Constitution and the law and order situation by adopting such means which would only cause their early ouster.”

“It is our right that the NWFP governor who on a number of occasions has criticized the role of Ulema and used derogatory remarks against them be replaced with an MMA nominee to ensure smooth functioning of the provincial government,” Prof Ibrahim, who has been nominated for senate by the JI, said.

He claimed that the MMA’s demand for the replacement of NWFP governor was being discussed at the federal level and the present governor may resign in a week time.

He warned that in future if the federal government wanted to launch an operation in the tribal areas against Al Qaeda suspects it would have to take prior permission from the provincial government. He also termed the apprehensions of the foreign media and the US wrong that Al Qaeda suspects were hiding in the tribal areas of the NWFP.

“If the government wants to continue operation against Al Qaeda our own army and intelligence agencies should be engaged for the job as they are capable of handling such affairs and there is no need of FBI to perform the task and its any future activity in this regard will be considered an attack on our sovereignty,” he added.

To a question, he said the provincial government had devised a policy to post government employees specially teachers near their native districts. He said the religious parties had been able to form a government in the NWFP for the first time after independence and for future success they would strictly adhere to the policy of merit, equality and justice in all matters.

Earlier, speaking on the occasion, the JI district chiefs of Hangu, Kohat and Karak asked the party workers to route all applications for appointments and transfers through them to the ministers concerned.