PESHAWAR, July 15: The Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party has urged all the major political parties to rally round a one-point agenda of opposing the permanent political role for the armed forces in the Constitution.

Speaking at a news conference here at the Peshawar Press Club on Monday, PMAP General Secretary Akram Shah Khan said his party had been opposed to the proclamation of the 4th martial law by Gen Pervez Musharraf in the country. “We have termed the dismissal of Nawaz Sharif a subjugation of power by the generals,” Mr Shah added.

After military coup, he said, PMAP had rejected the seven-point agenda offered by Gen Musharraf to the nation. “And we reject all his rhetorics regarding the trimming of the constitution”, he added.

He hoped that all the political parties would oppose the so-called constitutional package and struggle for the rights of people, supremacy of parliament and autonomy of the federating units.

Some political parties, he said, dubbed Gen Musharraf the only saviour of the country and endorsed his unconstitutional act against the elected government of Nawaz Sharif, but now it was their duty to fight against Musharraf’s martial law.

He said the government’s abhorrence of the constitution, the parliament and political parties had exposed its nefarious designs of giving the armed forces a permanent role in the power game.

The PMAP leader said Gen Musharraf wanted to bring back the old one-unit system in the country as all his efforts were aimed at introducing a unitary system of government.” The smaller federating units would not accept the dictatorial measures of the government,” he added.

The PMAP, he said, would brave all odds and put up its nominees in the upcoming elections.

The government was trying to force the political parties to boycott the elections so it could seek five years’ extension from the Supreme Court, but the political parties would participate in the elections at all costs, he added.

“Despite a ban on political activities and splits caused by the government in various political parties, the political forces are still effective enough to dislodge the dictators,” he added.

He said the rulers, through their unlawful actions, were trying to divide the nation into the armed and unarmed sections, but the nation would foil all these ugly moves. The rulers must realise that the political vacuum was being filled by extremists and destructive forces, he added.

He said the PMAP would hold its four-day national congress at Quetta, from July 27 to 30, to review its manifesto, party work and political situation in the country.