23 February 2004	Monday	02 Muharram 1425

ISLAMABAD, Feb 22: The Pakistan People's Party has demanded a parliamentary inquiry into the nuclear proliferation scandal. According to a press release issued here by the PPP media cell, the party at its two-day meeting in London , which was presided over by former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, noted that the scale of nuclear hardware was advertised through open tenders in July 2000 under President Gen Pervez Musharraf. He should be held responsible for undermining the country's security and integrity, a resolution of the party said.

The meeting decided to appoint shadow spokespersons of the parliamentary party to collect and coordinate in parliament information on issues relating to various ministries and departments.

The party called for the release of former senator Asif Ali Zardari and other political leaders, including Bismillah Kakar, Pir Mukarrum and Salahuddin Dogar.

It called for the withdrawal of politically-motivated cases against the PPP leadership, noting that the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had given the country its nuclear programme, while Bhutto saved it in 1988 and also gave the country it missile capability.

The meeting condemned the 'failed regime' of Gen Musharraf, which, it said, had failed to restore the writ of the state, resulting in the regrouping of Taliban.

Unless the writ of the government was established, foreign forces could be sucked into the tribal areas, the resolution said. The PPP condemned the price hike and unemployment and said that under the Benazir government the poverty level had been brought down.

It emphasized the need for building water resources of the country. It said the party would have completed building small dams and lining of the canals to overcome the problem of water shortage.

It paid tribute to party loyalist Dhani Bux Amroti for the demonstrating his commitment through self-immolation, saying it proved that the PPP workers were themost devoted in the Sub-continent.

The two-day meeting was attended by, among others, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Mian Raza Rabbani, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Barrister Sultan Mahmood, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Syed Khurshid Shah and Syed Qaim Ali Shah.