LAHORE, Jan 6: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal did not cast confidence vote for Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali because he had refused to support demands of the religious parties’ alliance.

The demands included resignation of President Gen Musharraf as army chief and repeal of the constitutional amendments made by the military regime, says Syed Munawar Hasan, secretary-general of the Jamaat-i-Islami, one of the six constituents of the MMA.

Talking to a delegation of students at Mansoora here on Monday, he said the prime minister had realized that, if accepted, the demands would strengthen his government as the rule would have been transferred from military to civilians but Mr Jamali dared not side with the MMA.

Mr Hasan expressed his concern over the increasing influence of the US agency FBI in the country despite the fact that a civil government had taken charge.

He said the world alliance against terror had not yet declared any Jew, Christian or Hindu as terrorist though Israeli tanks and Indian forces were daily crushing innocent populations in Palestine and Kashmir, respectively.

Jamaat information secretary and MMA nominee for PP-147 Amirul Azim said the rulers promised free education and ownership rights for the residents of kutcha abadis but they practically deprived the poor of their right to education and other civic amenities.

He recalled that a few years ago the then government had levied Iqra surcharge on the promise that it would provide free education under New Roshni Scheme.

But, he regretted, billions of rupees collected through the levy were never used for the purpose.

He demanded that the state-run schools handed over to the private sector should be taken back and fees of universities and colleges should also be reduced.