Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), the country's main alliance of religious political parties, vowed yesterday to ban music and dance and close down co-educational institutions if elected to power.

"There won't be any dancing or singing by prostitutes on the television," Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani, president of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, told Gulf News in an interview.

"There will be a complete ban on musical and dancing shows. Instead, we will promote the concept of Jihad (holy war)," he said.

Besides the Noorani-led Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan, the two factions of the pro-Taliban Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, the Jamaat-e-Islami, the Islami Tehrik-e-Pakistan and the Jamiat Ahle Hadis are members of the alliance.

This is for the first time in Pakistan's history that Islamic parties are running in the elections on a united platform. In the past, they used to form alliances with liberal political parties also.

Noorani said the co-education institutions and offices are also promoting corruption, adultery and extra-marital relations. "Islam gives high place to women and they cannot be exploited as an object of entertainment," he said.

"Dance and music is the legacy of Hindu society. The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal will ensure women's rights and stop their exploitation," he said.

He, however, said that the MMA would not stop women from working. "They are allowed to do their business and pursue professions, including teaching, medicine," he said.

"They can run in elections for the parliament, but a woman cannot be the head of the state," he said. "Islam says that woman's rule brings destruction. The nation twice committed mistake by electing Benazir Bhutto prime minister," he added.

"But she should be allowed to run in the elections."

In the 1997 elections, the religious parties could win only a few seats. While the Jamaat-e-Islami boycotted the polls, the other groups failed even to get their leaders elected to the parliament.

Maulana Fazalur Rehman and Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, who head their own factions of the JUI, and Noorani lost their seats. But in the coming elections the religious groups are hoping to perform better saying that their votes won't be divided.

Independent analysts say that the MMA is unlikely to emerge as a major player.