PESHAWAR, Feb 24: The PML-N has pledged to continue its struggle for the establishment of true democracy and rule of law in the country. "The solution to the country's problems lies in the establishment of true democracy and rule of law.

We have been struggling all along to remove army dictator and pave way for the democracy to flourish in the country," said, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) provincial secretary-general, Zafar Iqbal Jhagra.

Speaking at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club to announce the joining of the PML-N by the ANP's stalwart, Shazia Aurangzeb's, here on Tuesday, he said that her arrival into the party would give an impetus to the party's relentless struggle for the restoration of democracy.

"We welcome Ms Shazia's entry to our party's fold, as we believe that it would further strengthen and consolidate our struggle for the restoration of democracy in the country," said Mr Jhagra, who is also secretary general of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD).

Pakistan is passing through a critical phase and democratic forces should join forces to solve the national problems in the best possible manners, he said and added that the present government had disgraced Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, the founder of the nuclear programme just to appease the US.

The rulers had hatched conspiracy to rollback the nuclear programme, which must be foiled, because this is the only guarantee for our survival. "Even the US would think 20 times to attack us, as far as we are in possession of the nuclear arsenal. The credit for exploding the nuclear bomb goes to former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif," the PML leader said.

Accompanied by party's leaders, including Dr Imtiaz Bokhari, Zakia Habibullah, Rukhsana Rajput, Rehmat Salam Khattak and others, he said that the operation against the tribesmen on the pretext of hunting Taliban and Al Qaeda elements, was also being carried out at the behest of the US.

The tribal people, he said, had been defending the western frontiers of the country since long without being paid, but the harassment of the tribesmen, he said would create hatred and disdain among the tribal population against the army.

Flawed and ill-directed Afghan policy pursued by the present government was a matter of grave concern, because it had made our defence vulnerable, Mr Jhagra said and warned that the government would be responsible for the dire consequences and backlash of the army action in tribal areas.

He also criticized the government for putting the Kashmir issue in cold storage and said that the issue had been converted from an international one to bilateral one. The government, he said was responsible for the non-resolution of the core issue of Kashmir.

He said Dr Qadeer's 'under duress' confessional statement had alerted the world community that thought Pakistan as proliferator of the nuclear weapons in the world. No one in the future would like to work in the national nuclear programme for fear of being disgraced.