October 19, 2002	Saturday	Sha'aban 12, 1423

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QUETTA, Oct 18: The Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement (PONAM) has rejected the legal framework and Provisional Constitutional Order and urged the political parties and democratic forces to jointly struggle against it.

The PONAM’s meeting, which held here on Friday evening under the chairmanship of Mehmood Khan Achakzai acting chairman of the alliance, discussed the PCO and the legal framework order in detail.

The meeting observed that in the presence of the PCO, the legal framework order and the National Security Council the supremacy of the elected parliament, powers of prime minister and its cabinet, provincial assemblies and chief ministers of the all federating units would be badly affected.

The participants of the meeting were of the view that through National Security Council military rulers wanted to take complete control on the elected parliament, which was the supreme institution of the country and all other institutions including army works under it.

The PONAM asked all political forces of the country to get united on this issue and launch a joint struggle for the restoration of democracy and Constitution, supremacy of the parliament, and abolishing the so-called legal framework order and PCO.

It was further decided that the PONAM would form a block of like-minded parties and democratic forces in the parliament to adopt joint stand on such issues.

The National Finance Commission award was also come under discussion and PONAM’s component parties rejected it saying that an un- elected military government has no right to take any decision on such an important issue. They said that in the presence of an elected parliament military government has no right to announce NFC award.

The component parties informed the meeting about the alleged rigging in the election and said that under a conspiracy government tried to keep all democratic and nationalist force away from the parliament and provincial assemblies.

The leaders of the component parties, including Sardar Akhtar Mengal President BNP-Mengal and Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch President BNM, Dr Yasin Baloch, Dr Malik, Dr Ishaq Baloch, Habib Jalib Baloch, Sana Baloch, Nawab Ayaz Khan Jogezai and Abdul Rahim Mandokhel were present in the meeting.