October 27, 2003	Monday	Sha’aban 30, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 26: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman, Imran Khan, has said President General Pervez Musharraf should immediately set down as army chief.

The PTI chief said this while presiding over his party’s central executive committee meeting here on Sunday.

Mr Khan demanded of the government to end to the military actions inside the tribal areas.

The two-day PTI CEC meeting discussed the overall political situation in the country, the party’s reorganization process and the public mobilization campaign.

Imran Khan said the people had been exploited under the doctrine of “supreme national interest” which had only served to preserve power for General Musharraf and his regime.

“We cannot allow foreign interests to ruin our unity, internal peace and stability,” he said.

“Our sovereignty continues to be violated with impunity.

“The activities of FBI operatives inside our territory are unconstitutional and illegal and should be stopped forthwith.

The PTI chairman stressed that no country would respect the rights of citizens if their own government was determined to flout every law of the land just to please it’s foreign masters.

He said return to democracy was meaningless without the return to the rule of law.

Mr Khan said stopping normal and routine institutional change at the top encourages nepotism and undermines the professional competence of the army.

As an institution, the army must be protected from eroding influences, which creep into it if it involves itself in political matters.

He said, unfortunately, the establishment had repeatedly hoisted “sham” democracy through a fraudulent election process and subsequently removed their chosen ones from power for corruption.