PESHAWAR, Dec 18: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Syed Munawar Hassan has said that government should constitute a medical board to examine health condition of President Asif Ali Zardari to determine whether he can perform his duties efficiently.

Addressing a public rally here on Sunday, he demanded of the government to announce date for general elections in the country. He said that there were widespread speculations about the health condition of President Zardari therefore government should provide correct information about his physical condition.

The JI leader asked the government to set up a medical board comprising senior physicians to examine the president. The medical board, he said, should decide whether he (Zardari) could continue his job or not.

He said that country's affairs should not be handed over to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan People's Party. He said that prime minister and his team were turning Pakistan into a failed state therefore government should announce schedule for general elections.

JI former chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad, deputy chief Sirajul Haq and other leaders also addressed the rally. The venue was decorated with party flags and banners inscribed with anti-US slogans. A large banner erected on the back of the stage said: “We want to get rid the nation of US slavery.”

Like other religious-political parties, JI organised the rally in the provincial capital to mobilise masses against America and highlight the 'weak' policies of the government.

The party workers were brought from different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Chitral, Dir, Hazara, southern districts and tribal areas.

Mr Hassan said that Al Qaeda and Taliban factions should not be blamed for attacks on military installations and acts of terrorism in the country. He alleged that America was bent upon to destabilise Pakistan and make India a mini-super power in the region.

He said that America, Israel and India were responsible for attacks on important security installations like Mehran base, Karachi and General Headquarters, Rawalpindi.

“Regrettably government directly blamed Al Qaeda and Taliban for terrorism,” he said, adding that Pakistan and America had separate strategic interests. The JI chief said that US wanted to establish India's hegemony in the region and rollback Pakistan's nuclear programme. He alleged that Washington was also trying to contain Iran and China. He said that presence of America and Nato was root cause of extremism and terrorism in the region.

Qazi Hussain, while addressing the workers, said that Islamist parties were coming into power in Africa and Middle East. He said that JI would fulfil vacuum in the country in the next elections, because people were also fed up with capitalism, liberalism, corruption, lawlessness and bad governance.

He proposed that Pakistan instead of relying on America and other western powers should sign defence treaties with China and import gas, electricity and oil from Iran.

He said that JI was in favour of friendly ties with neighbouring countries, including India, if New Delhi ended its occupation of Kashmir.

The former JI chief warned government not to allow supplies to Nato forces in Afghanistan otherwise his party would block all supply routes across the country. He said that participation of large number of people in the rally showed that nation had rejected the government pro-America policies.

Sirajul Haq, in his address, came down heavily on Awami National Party for its poor governance and malpractices in the province. He said that ANP was pro-America and had killed thousands of innocent people and turned the province into a valley of death.