September 26, 2002	Thursday	Rajab 18, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 25: The chairman of Pakistan Muslim League (N), Raja Mohammad Zafarul Haq, has said military regimes in Pakistan have always harmed the country’s interests, leading it to isolation on the international level.

He made these remarks while speaking at a meeting of the PML-N women workers on Wednesday.

He said it had been proved time and again that military intervention had affected the political stability and the credibility of the country.

Raja Zafarul Haq recalled the statements of Kashmiri leader Abdul Ghani Lone Shaheed during his visit to Pakistan earlier this year. Mr Lone had said: “No one in the world listens to our friend Pakistan because there is no democracy here, while our enemy India gets favourable response only because it is ruled by a democratic government.”

The PML-N leader said the serious damage which the present military regime had caused to the interests of the people and the country was now acknowledged even by those who had celebrated when PML-N government was removed.

“They have now joined us in the struggle for restoration of democracy,” he said, and added, “Only some individuals chose to leave the PML-N. They now stand isolated while the voters remain loyal to the party.”

He said the coming elections were a great challenge to the political workers because the regime was engaged in pre-poll rigging like the unfair delimitation of constituencies, and was expected to take further steps to unlawfully benefit its favoured candidates. In this respect, he said, women workers had to be vigilant as polling agents. No political campaign can be a success unless women render their full support to it, he said.

Raja Zafarul Haq pointed out that a sympathy wave for Nawaz Sharif was already evident among the people, and the workers must cash on it. He assured that Nawaz Sharif would soon return to Pakistan with honour, and would lead the nation towards progress from the point where it was interrupted in October 1999.