October 23, 2003	Thursday	Sha’aban 26, 1424

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PESHAWAR, Oct 22: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) will kick off a campaign against President Gen Pervez Musharraf from a public meeting to be held in Peshawar on Friday, said ARD General Secretary Iqbal Zafar Jhagra.

Flanked by Khwaja Mohammad Khan Hoti and Pir Sabir Shah, provincial heads of Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) respectively, Mr Jhagra told journalists at his residence on Wednesday that the ARD would continue its struggle till the removal of President Pervez Musharraf from the offices of president and Chief of Army Staff, and the restoration of “real democracy.”

Whenever a movement had been launched from the Frontier province, it had proved successful in eliminating the dictatorship, he claimed, adding that this time the first public meeting of a series of public meetings would begin from Peshawar.

Mr Jhagra said that the ARD would briefly discontinue the movement during the holy month of Ramazan and after that the campaign would be relaunched.

Commenting on the talks between the MMA and the government on the Legal Framework Order (LFO), he said it was a conspiracy to prolong the stay of President Pervez Musharraf in the government.

Terming the Musharraf government a complete failure, Mr Jhagra said that since the ouster of the Nawaz Sharif government four years ago, the country had plunged into lawlessness and unemployment and price-hike were gifts of President Musharraf’s four years’ rule.

He asserted that the present government’s claim of an increase in the foreign exchange reserves was nothing but an eyewash as the people had not benefited from it.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Hoti said that the PPP would not be part of any move to dislodge the MMA government in the NWFP.

Without naming the MMA, he said: “Those who helped it form the government in the Frontier province can undo (dismiss) it without the PPP’s support.”

Mr Hoti said that all those political forces which wanted to work for the “real democracy” could join the ARD on one-point agenda and that was remove Musharraf.

“We have never compromised on the democracy and the Constitution in the past and will never compromise in future also,” he declared.

Mr Hoti also criticized the role of judiciary in strengthening the dictatorship in the country.

He also flayed the detention of PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari and asserted that during the last seven years of his imprisonment the government could not frame any charge against him, which was quite enough to prove his innocence.

Mr Hoti alleged that when President Pervez Musharraf seized power, he had presented a seven-point agenda which, among other points, included retrieving the public money from the corrupt politicians. “But most of these politicians are now part of the government,” he said.

Pir Sabir Shah said that whenever the democracy got on the tracks, it had been dismissed by a dictator. “Now, we need unity among all political parties to launch a joint struggle against President Pervez Musharraf,” he suggested.

Mr Shah was also critical of the government attempt to recognize Israel.