LAHORE, April 18: Opposing any constitutional role for the armed forces in national politics, the Qaumi Jamhoori Party (QJP) has demanded an immediate end to the army rule in the country.
Speaking at a press conference after a meeting of party's National Council here on Sunday, QJP president Asghar Khan said the army government had failed to deliver on the promises it had made with the masses while taking over reigns of the country on Oct 12, 1999.
He also saw no utility of the National Security Council except giving a role to the army in state affairs. He said frequent army interventions had gradually annihilated democracy. He, however, held politicians responsible for the interventions as, according to him, they ousted governments of each others in connivance with the ISI.
Pointing to army's influence in state affairs even when it was not directly in power, he argued that the uniform of Gen Pervez Musharraf was an irrelevant issue because the army would hold sway come what may. "Shedding off uniform will only be an act to camouflage illegal power grabbing by the army."
He said private companies used to offer jobs to retired civil bureaucrats believing that their "contacts" would make their files move in various departments. But this role had now been taken over by military bureaucrats, he regretted.
Demanding restoration of the 1973 Constitution to its original form, Asghar Khan said all amendments made and ordinances promulgated should be abolished forthwith.
Referring to the PPP and the PML-N, the QJP president said one party had been involved in division of the country while the other had damaged the institution of judiciary through attacks of hooligans on the Supreme Court.
He demanded that the generals and the politicians involved in bifurcation of Pakistan in 1971 should be tried and awarded punishment. Saying that there had been no fair polls since 1970, he saw the position of the incumbent assemblies as dubious.
He, however, opposed dissolution of the assemblies, arguing that the same people would again come to power. Expressing his party's concern at overcrowded cabinets in the centre and the four provinces, Mr Khan said that the weak economy could not bear this burden, especially when masses were living in miserable conditions.
Answering a question, he said siding with the US on the Afghan issue could not be avoided by Gen Musharraf, but becoming as submissive as foreign minister Khursheed Kasuri was unnecessary.
He told a questioner that all decisions of going to war with India were wrong as the country always remained on the losing side. Opposing sending of troops to Iraq, he said he would be shocked if the government took such an unwise decision.
Replying to a query, he said the QJP favoured a political settlement of the Wana issue. Pointing to the tug of war between local councils' representatives and MPs, he said it was not unnatural, however, the authorities concerned had failed to tackle it well. Earlier, the QJP council re-elected Mr Khan as the party president for a period of two years.
