ISLAMABAD, June 6: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) deputy information secretary, Munir Ahmed Khan, has said the country is facing 'worst-ever' law and order problem owing to wrong policies of Gen Pervez Musharraf.

Talking to newsmen here on Sunday, he called for ouster of the incumbent government which, he said, was must to ensure national security. The ARD deputy information secretary demanded setting up of an interim national government only for the purpose of conducting free, fair and impartial elections in the country.

The elections should be held under the supervision of the human rights organizations and an independent election commission. He said the nation had to suffer a lot owing to the last 55 months policies of Gen Pervez Musharraf.

Mr Khan said Jamali government's 19 months were also a continuation of the Musharraf rule as the prime minister was nowhere in the policy-making process. He said the Musharraf regime had not launched even a single programme to reduce unemployment and poverty as a result of which over 3,250 people had so far committed suicide in the past 55 months.

Mr Khan claimed that the number of those who committed suicide during the 19-month of Jamali government was 1,022. These figures speak about the failed policies of the military regime, Mr Khan added.

He was of the view that the country was facing a threat of terrorism due to wrong policies of Gen Musharraf, who was only interested in prolongation of his personal rule. "You cannot win the war against terrorism with a military dictator playing shots," Mr Khan said, adding that the ongoing war against terrorism would succeed only when there was a true democratic set-up in the country.

He said, in the past each democratically-elected government was dismissed mainly on two charges that of corruption and poor law and order situation. He alleged that the Musharraf regime had broken all records of corruption and nepotism. Moreover, he said another charge that Gen Musharraf had put against the past governments was their involvement in horse-trading.

He said the whole nation witnessed how the politicians were forced to change their loyalties at the time of the government formation at Centre after the October 2002 elections.

He said Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi and PPP leader Asif Zardari were behind the bars only because they raised their voice against the injustice and dictatorship.

Regarding possibility of talks with the military regime, he said the PPP was ready to hold talks with Gen Musharraf but the agenda would be only the timeframe for the return of army to barracks.

He said the PPP would not become a part of dialogue for the purpose of joining the set-up under the military rule. He claimed that soon after the elections, when the military regime contacted the PPP for the formation of the government, the talks broke down when the party demanded that army should go back to the barracks.