PESHAWAR, Jan 16: Federal Minister for Political Affairs Amir Muqam has said that terrorist and extremist tendencies were detrimental to the national interest and the nation firmly stood behind President Gen Pervez Musharraf in war against terror.

He expressed these views while addressing a public gathering at Kalakhel Sherkara near Peshawar on Tuesday. On this occasion, some influential people of the area along with scores of their supporters announced joining of the PML.

The federal minister who is also president of the Pakistan Muslim League, NWFP, said that Pakistan is fighting war against terrorism to provide peace and protection to its own people and it is nothing to do with the global agenda of any foreign power.

He said that terrorists are the enemies of the people and the country and they deserve no leniency but rather shall be dealt with a heavy hand.

He accused the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal of duplicity and said that the actions of the MMA leadership do not match their words.

He said that the performance of the MMA government in NWFP reflect nepotism, hypocrisy and prejudice and added that the provincial government utilised bulk of development funds in few selected districts which accentuated economic disparity among various districts of the province.

The minister also lambasted the Awami National Party for ignoring the problems of the masses while remaining in power for two times. He said that the so called Pakhtun nationalists have always misled the people by the raising hollow slogans like the renaming of the province and the Kalabagh dam.

Meanwhile, delegations from Kohat and Manshera called on the minister at his residence in Peshawar. —APP