August 3, 2003	Sunday	Jumadi-us-Sani 4, 1424

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PESHAWAR, Aug 2: PPP’s parliamentary leader in the NWFP Assembly Abdul Akbar Khan has demanded early release of Asif Ali Zardari in keeping with the demand made by the provincial assembly through a resolution on May 8.

Talking to newsmen here at the Peshawar Press Club on Saturday, Mr Khan described Mr Zardari’s detention as the worst kind of “political vendetta” aimed at keeping the genuine political forces out of the state business.

He alleged that the rulers, for their personal gains, were tampering with the federal parliamentary system and strengthening the centrifugal forces.

Denouncing what he called the forcible return of Mr Zardari’s children, he observed, was nothing, but to pressurise the PPP and seek its support on the unconstitutional measures of the rulers.

Denouncing what he called the forcible return of Mr Zardari’s children, he said it was nothing but a pressure tactic to make the PPP support the unconstitutional measures of the rulers.

He said the deportation of Mr Zardari’s children was a violation of basic human rights. It was more a human issue than a political one, and human rights organizations should take notice of it, he added.

Mr Khan asked the federal government to honour the NWFP Assembly’s resolution demanding honourable return of Ms Bhutto and unconditional release of her spouse, Mr Zardari. If it was not done, the party would take up the issue in the next session of the assembly, he added.

He said the military rulers, in collaboration with their conservative religious partners, were trying to banish the liberal, democratic and federal forces.

Mr Khan said the PPP and the PML-N, the symbols of the country’s federation, were out of the state affairs and those who had been declared security risk in the near past were running the government.

The PPP, he said, would resist all the anti-people, unlawful, undemocratic and unconstitutional steps of the government inside the assembly and support the pro-people policies of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal. “We have no covert agreement with the MMA. We have supported them on the rights of province,” he added.

In reply to a question, he said the PPP was a part of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy, and it was bound to comply with the ARD decisions. The MMA was rapidly moving towards its disintegration, he added.

He said recent visit of the MMA delegation to India was one of the government-sponsored diplomatic projects. The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, reputed to be extremist group, was given the task of levelling the ground for future talks between the two countries, he added.

He said the PPP and the PML-N, during their tenures, had worked hard to normalize relations with India, but some hidden hands sabotaged their efforts.