24 May 2004	Monday	04 Rabi-us-Saani 1425

LAHORE, May 23: Punjab PML-N President Sirdar Zulfikar Khosa alleged on Sunday the Punjab government was trying to win over the opposition legislators under detention in an attempt to introduce what he called a one-party system in the country.

At a news conference, he said the government wanted to wipe out the opposition and it was for this reason that on the one hand opposition legislators were being pressured to switch loyalties while on the other such alien elements were being herded into the unified PML whose past character had simply been horrible.

Mr Khosa said since "paper parties" joining hands with the ruling PML-Q had little support among the electorate, the PML-N and the PPP would remain unharmed. "Unification or such other tactics will not be able to dent popularity of the PML-N and the PPP (two major components of the ARD)".

A former Punjab governor, Mr Khosa strongly condemned the mistreatment of the opposition leaders and workers by the police on May 11, the day PML-N President Mian Shahbaz Sharif landed at Lahore airport and was deported to Saudi Arabia.

These people were converging on Lahore to receive their exiled leader who was returning to his country to be with his people, ignoring all likely consequences of his initiative, Mr Khosa said.

The PML-N leader said police treated the opposition workers and leaders like they were terrorists. The attitude of the Punjab government on May 11, Mr Khosa recalled, was in sharp contrast to the free hand the then PML government had given to PPP leader Ms Benazir Bhutto on April 10, 1986, when she had landed in Lahore, ending several years of her self-imposed exile.

He regretted that a large number of opposition workers were still behind bars and the relevant authorities were not allowing them to receive visitors or food from their homes. Also, he said, police raids were still continuing at various places.

Deputy opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Rana Sanaullah Khan told reporters that three of the four opposition MPAs under detention had been set free on Sunday as a result of the talks he and MNA Pervaiz Malik held with Speaker Afzal Sahi and Law Minister Raja Basharat.

Those who have been released are Mian Yawar Zaman, Jehanzeb Rao and Mehr Ishtiaq. Rana said a case was pending against Mr Nazir Dogar and he was likely to be allowed bail in the next few days.

According to him, the law minister had assured him that arrest warrants, which were not served so far, would be taken back. He criticized the Punjab chief minister for holding a news conference along with opposition MPA Malik Ahad only to announce that the lawmaker had been won over.

The announcement as well as the way it was made amounted to disgracing the office of the chief minister, Rana said. Rejecting the chief minister's claims that the ruling party would get such more 'good news' in the days to come, the PML-N leader emphasised that all opposition legislators were rock solid in their loyalty and the government would not be able to cause any more defections.

Rana Sana told a questioner that the government had done no favour by releasing the detained MPAs and that it should not expect anything in reciprocity.

He said opposition legislators would go ahead with their plan to protest during the forthcoming session of the Punjab Assembly and express resentment against the hell let loose on May 11 and the way Mian Shahbaz Sharif was denied his birthright to stay in his country.

Punjab PML-N Secretary-General Saad Rafiq warned that the forthcoming National Assembly session would be a stormy one if production orders were not issued for Javed Hashmi to take part in the session.

He alleged that PML-N activists, who had played an active role in making arrangements to accord Shahbaz Sharif a rousing welcome, were still being hunted by intelligence agencies.