12 February 2004	Thursday	20 Zilhaj 1424

PESHAWAR, Feb 11: The Pakistan People's Party demanded on Wednesday that the government should set up a judicial commission to hold an inquiry into the charges of nuclear proliferation and suggest a punishment for those involved in it.

Speaking to the party's provincial office-bearers, NWFP PPP chief Khwaja Mohammad Khan Hoti deplored the character assassination of the scientists, who, he said, had provided an atomic deterrent to the country and made its defence invincible in the wake of arms race in the region.

The PPP announced that it would observe a protest week from Feb 13 to Feb 20, as decided by the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy. It decided to set up protest camps at district level in the province and tell the people about the dictatorial measures of the government.

Besides the PPP and its affiliated wings, Mr Hoti said, all the component parties of the ARD would observe the protest week. He said the removal of President Gen Pervez Musharraf was essential for the safety of the country.

The PPP leader held the army generals responsible for the leakage of nuclear know-how as they were responsible for the security of the nuclear programme. He underlined the need for the constitution of a judicial commission to ascertain the facts about the nuclear proliferation charges.

He said the regime had accepted the decisive role of the PPP's founding chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the development of the nuclear programme, but the former prime minister was killed by a military dictator.

He asked the government to reopen the murder case registered against Mr Bhutto on political grounds and exonerate the benefactor of the nation posthumously.

The meeting condemned the role of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and said it had bargained with Gen Musharraf at the cost of democracy. It said the MMA was hoodwinking to the nation in the name of Islam.

It demanded that the government withdraw all cases against former senator Asif Ali Zardari and release him and allow PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto to return to country.