May 19, 2002	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 6, 1423

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LAHORE, May 18: The PML(N) said on Saturday that in cooperation with other political forces it would redraft Article 6 of the constitution to ward off military interventions in future.

Party’s central leader Ahsan Iqbal said at a news briefing after a meeting of the provincial working committee that in its present form the Article 6 was not very effective. He said it was for this reason that it could not prevent military takeovers. Time had come, he said, that all parties agreed to give teeth to this provision of the constitution and enforce it in letter and spirit.

Punjab office-bearers Sirdar Zulfiqar Khosa, Khwaja Saad Rafiq and Zaeem Qadri were also present.

Ahsan Iqbal said time had come that it should be decided for good whether the country would be ruled by the elected representatives of the people or the generals.

He criticized the performance of the military government and said there was a slide on every front.

A resolution said involving the Pakistan army in search operations in tribal areas at a time when the Indian troops were on borders in a state of high alert was meant to put at stake integrity of the country. It said the role of foreign forces in raids and apprehensions was a clear interference in the internal affairs of the country.

The resolution demanded that foreign forces should be sent back without delay.

Another resolution said India was misleading the world opinion by branding the freedom movement in occupied Kashmir as terrorism.