ISLAMABAD Feb 20: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) on Monday condemned Sunday’s arrest of its activists and sealing of the federal capital by police and announced countrywide demonstrations against what it termed as “repressive actions” of the government.

The MMA supreme council which met under the chairmanship of its president Qazi Hussain Ahmed, who had been freed earlier from a day of house arrest, shared the other opposition parties’ view that General Pervez Musharraf would have to step down since he was not a constitutionally elected president.

The MMA body demanded an independent and autonomous election commission that would work in consultation with all opposition parties to ensure free, fair and transparent polls in future.

The religious alliance made it clear that the opposition would not accept any changes in electoral laws or the appointment of a chief election commissioner.

The alliance leaders said they opposed perpetuation of the military’s “interference in governance” and demanded “an end to dictatorship to satisfy the masses’ anger against the growing economic problems.

They said that Sunday’s demonstrations had proved that despite extreme security measures the government was unable to stop the flood of protesters.

Mr Ahmed cautioned that if the Punjab government tried to block the Feb 26 protest rally in Lahore it would have to accept responsibility for any untoward incident that may take place.

He said the MMA would not be intimidated by the administration’s threat to register cases against the alliance’s leaders and workers under the anti-terrorist act or any other laws.

“The days of the government are numbered…The government will fall next month,” he said.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and MMA secretary general Maulana Fazlur Rahman said the faithful showed their love and reverence for the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) by turning out in large numbers and courting arrest on Sunday.

“This proves that Muslims are fully alive to the task of up-holding the sanctity of their religion,” he said.