SUKKUR, Sept: 15: The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Qadri group) has termed the president’s address advocating Kalabagh dam an attempt to divert public attention from the Legal Framework Order and the controversy over his uniform.

It declared that the announcement of construction of dams on the Indus was an attempt to humiliate the smaller provinces that had already passed resolutions against the construction of the Kalabagh dam.

This was said by JUI-Q president Maulana Mohammad Ajmal Qadri while speaking at a press conference here on Monday.

He said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf had no mandate of the people and the Kalabagh dam issue should have been presented before a proper forum like parliament for a thread-bare debate on its pros and cons.

Maulana Qadri termed the presidential announcement as an enmity towards the country, saying the Kalabagh dam had become a notorious project.

Besides, he said, the president as a public servant had no authority to impose his will on the people.

He termed it strange that the President did not announce construction of the dams after assuming power or even soon after that but raised the issue when the government and the opposition were engaged in a tough debate on the LFO.

The JUI-Q president said that if the LFO was accepted, it would be a tragedy for the country.

He requested Alliance for Restoration of Democracy chief Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan to convene an All Parties’ Conference to discuss the launching of a movement against the government. He said that time was nearing for a mass movement against the president if the LFO talks failed.

He ruled out the possibility of imposition of martial law in case the LFO talks failed and said that armed forces would not become a party in any dispute.

He advised the Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal leadership to refrain from what he called “Noora Kushti” and join the ranks of the combined opposition parties.

He said that if the MMA struck a deal on the LFO, the future of the components parties of the alliance, particularly of Jamaat-i-Islami’s Qazi Hussain Ahmed, would be sealed.

He said that the MMA was composed of the parties of leading Ulemas but their performance had disappointed the people

Maulana Qadri also called for the return of Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto and said that there was no bar on their seeking the office of prime minister for third time as it was the prerogative of the people to elect their prime minister.