21 July 2004	Wednesday	03 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

ISLAMABAD, July 20: The Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement (Ponam) has supported the ongoing military operation in tribal areas and called for more effective steps to eliminate foreign terrorists from the Pakistani soil.

This was announced by Ponam leaders Akram Shah Khan, Senator Raza Mohammad Raza, Senator Sanaullah Baloch and MNA Abdur Rauf Mengal at a news conference here on Monday. The Ponam leaders even asked the United Nations and the United States and its allied forces to take part in the military operation against the foreigners in South Waziristan, if desired results were not achieved from the ongoing operation.

The Ponam leaders said despite the fact the Pakistan government had launched a military operation in tribal areas, thousands of foreign militants were present there. Former senator Akram Shah, who is also the General Secretary of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), said rulers had not learnt any lesson from the East Pakistan tragedy and were denying the rights to the oppressed nations of Pakistan.

He said the 1973 Constitution had been completely changed by Gen Zia-ul-Haq and then by Gen Pervez Musharraf through various amendments. He claimed that a perpetual martial law had been imposed in the country through the 17th Amendment.

Mr Shah said Ponam wanted to have a real parliamentary democracy in the country. Instead of military, he said, 140 million people should be allowed to rule the country. Ponam, he added, would hold an international seminar in Islamabad on Aug 16 to highlight the "ongoing exploitation" of different nations living in the country.

Lawyers, human rights activists, UN representatives, world financial institutions and those political leaders believing in democracy would be invited to the seminar, he said.

Senator Raza Mohammad said the local people of the tribal area had also been fed up with the presence of these foreigners. He said the foreign elements were also involved in the attacks on the life of Gen Pervez Musharraf and the Karachi corps commander.

Balochistan, he further said, had only received Rs17 billion in the budget which was insufficient for the development projects in the province. Senator Sanaullah of the Balochistan National Party (BNP) said the parliament was functioning under the military control and it had been made a redundant institution.

He said the present parliament had completely failed to protect the rights of the provinces and other oppressed nations. He called for just division of resources among the federation and the provinces.