KOHAT, May 14: Pakistan People’s Party’s leaders in the Kohat division have demanded of President Gen Pervez Musharraf to step down after the verdict given by the people in the referendum and to hold free and fair general election under the supervision of superior courts’ judges.

Speaking at a joint press conference here on Monday, PPP local chief Nadir Khan Khattak said “the five per cent turnout in the recently-held referendum” was a clear proof of the failure of the government’s national and foreign policies.

They called upon President Musharraf to transfer power to political parties as soon as possible in the interest of the country.

They said PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto would return to the country soon and would participate in the elections at all costs.

The PPP leaders asked how the future prime minister could become powerful in the presence of a president in uniform and the National Security Council and military’s presence in each and every department, “including the judiciary”, of the country.

People had nothing to expect from what they called the tonga parties, which were favouring Gen Musharraf due to their lust for power.