Monday, July 3 2006 10:36 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: The American consulate in the Pakistani northern city of Peshawar has withdrawn an invitation to the provincial speaker after he allowed prayers for slain al-Qaeda Iraq chief Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, an Islamic party leader said yesterday (July 3, 2006).

The Assembly of North West Frontier Province, (NWFP) ruled by alliance of six Islamic groups, offered prayers for Zarqawi on June 21.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed early June 7 by a US airstrike --north of Baghdad. The NWFP Assembly Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan had allowed members of Islamic groups to table a motion for Zarqawi's prayers.

Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Qazi Hussain Ahmed told an anti-government rally of his party's parliamentarians and workers that the American consulate in Peshawar had sent an invitation to the Speaker for a function.

"But the invitation was later withdrawn and the Speaker was informed through a letter that he can not attend the function," Qazi Hussain Ahmed said adding that the invitation was withdrawn due to Speaker's permission to hold prayers for the dead militant.

"This is negation of diplomatic values. This is part of American arrogance," he said.

In another development last month, Speaker of the National Assembly, dominated by ruling Muslim League had disallowed a similar motion by the Islamist members, who also wanted the Assembly offers prayers for slain Zarqawi.