Islamabad, June 13: Shifting the onus on resolving the deadlock over his constitutional amendments to the opposition, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said the crisis is continuing due to the "adamant" attitude of the agitating parties who were playing the role of a "spoiler". "We are trying to do our best over the issue. My side is clear. The Prime Minister is taking a lot of interest in this issue. But there are some problems from the opposition's side," Musharraf said while refusing to quit the post of Army chief as demanded by the opposition.

"(My) uniform is not their issue. This is not an issue. It is a personal thing. They are just complicating it for nothing. It does not matter to them whether or not I remain in uniform," he told reporters in Lahore yesterday while attending the wedding of foreign minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri's son.

Claiming that he has shown maximum flexibility, he said the opposition would continue to create problems even if he quits as Army chief and accused it of playing the role of a "spoiler".

The President also hit out at the Islamist alliance for their "17-point Islamisation agenda".

He said Pakistan belonged to Muslims and there was no need for a Islamisation campaign. "It is an Islamic country. Islam is not in danger here. But what they (MMA) are doing shows as if it is some un-Islamic country."

Without directly naming former premiers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, Musharraf also blamed their parties, the PPP and the PML-N for taking "dictations" from abroad.

Bureau Report