RAWALPINDI, March 23: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Ammal’s vice president and Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad has called upon President General Pervez Musharraf to relinquish any of the two offices he holds before the 2007 elections.

Speaking at the ‘Shan-i-Mustafa’ conference held in protest against publication of sacrilegious caricatures at the historic Liaquat Bagh on Thursday, Mr Ahmed said that fair and free elections could not be guaranteed under Musharraf’s leadership.

“We want an independent election commission which is possible only with the formation of an interim government, and not under the supervision of a military dictator,” Mr Ahmed said.

The conference was also attended by MMA’s deputy general secretary Liaquat Baloch, deputy parliamentary leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, MMA supreme council member Abdul Jalil Naqvi and other parliamentarians of the alliance.

If free and transparent elections are to be held in the country, he said “Gen Musharraf must quit any of the two offices, especially his army post”.

“If our demand is not met and President Musharraf continues to hold both the offices, we will mobilise the public and launch a country-wide anti-Musharraf movement,” he said.

Mr Ahmed criticised the government for killing innocent people in Balochistan, Miramshah and South Waziristan, claiming that Gen Musharraf was badly trapped in US President George Bush’s so-called war against terror.

The anti-cartoons conference was attended by a large number of people, including supporters of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz).

MEDIATORY ROLE: In his speech MMA deputy parliamentary leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmad said that the opposition was ready to play a mediatory role and help resolve the ongoing tussle between government forces and tribesmen in Balochistan and South Waziristan.

“We can settle these problems by holding composite dialogue with Baloch and tribal leaders and the government should accept our proposals in this regard,” he said.

“If the government can hold talks with India on the Kashmir dispute, why should we be prevented from saving the lives of innocent people in Balochistan and South Waziristan?” he asked.

The MMA leader warned that if the government turned down the offer, the joint opposition would mobilise public opinion against the “illegal operations in Wana, Miramshah and Balochistan”.

Criticising Gen Musharraf’s foreign policies, he said that Pakistan was facing isolation and its southern borders were unsafe in the wake of the operation in the tribal areas.

“The Taliban were the real guardians of our borders and they had ensured stability in Afghanistan. The Bush-Musharraf alliance in the anti-terror war has not only left Afghanistan in tatters but has also led to the deteriorating law and order situation in Pakistan,” Hafiz Hussain remarked.

Mr Baloch said the ruling Pakistan Muslim League’s (PML) centenary convention was a failure and alleged that its leaders had betrayed the people of Pakistan.

“This convention is against the principles of Quaid-i-Azam as Pakistan was built in the name of Islam and despite the passage of 60 years there is no Islamic way of governance in the country,” he said.

The MMA conference in a unanimous resolution called upon the government to immediately halt the military operations in Balochistan and South Waziristan and asked President Musharraf to shed his uniform before the 2007 general election.

It also asked the Supreme Court to punish blasphemers under section 295c of the constitution.