05 January 2004	Monday	12 Ziqa'ad 1424

ISLAMABAD, Jan 4: The People's Rights Movement (PRM) has demanded of Saarc member countries to stop catering blindly to the imperial designs of the United States.

In a statement, the PRM demanded that all Saarc countries should reclaim sovereignty on all basic policy alignments from the international donor community, including international financial institutions.

"The global capitalist onslaught continues to condemn millions of South Asians to institutionalised pauperisation and degradation of the region's economy in unprecedented ways.

"If this onslaught continued to be facilitated by South Asian governments, the people of the region will ultimately be condemned to a process of marginalization.

In such a situation, even potentially positive steps, such as a free trade zone, can become harmful to the people of the region as it will emphasise profit over basic needs."