22 July 2004	Thursday	04 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

PESHAWAR, July 21: The Pakistan People's Party has alleged that the ill-conceived policies of the ruling alliance has landed the country into a socio-economic crisis, and the general people are the main losers.

Provincial PPP's General Secretary Najmuddin Khan has said that the July 26 public meeting being organised at Chowk Yadgar to denounce the prolonged detention of Asif Ali Zardari will pave the way for other political forces to challenge the undemocratic measures of the rulers.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, Mr Khan hoped that the PPP workers and democracy-loving forces would make the meeting a greater success. He said that the meeting was being organised on the birthday of Asif Ali Zardari, who has passed his last eight birthdays in prison. He said the PPP was the biggest political force of the country, which could not be kept out of power for a longer period.

Despite government-sponsored intrigues, he said, the PPP was still an organised and popular force, which was playing its political role in the province. The general populace were looking towards the PPP for guidance as the present government had failed to bring any positive change in the life of the poor people, Mr Khan added.

Every dictatorial regime, he said, had multiplied the miseries of general people and burdened them with many a social evils, but the present government had left them at the mercy of exploitative forces, who were hands in gloves with the rulers.

The government, which claimed that it had amassed billion of dollars and bettered the economic and financial position of the country, had failed to stem the rising crime wave across the country, he added.

He claimed that only PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto could steer the country out of the present mess, created by adventurists and their religious and political allies. Mr Khan advised the PPP workers to bring democracy-loving people to the meeting on July 26 in Peshawar.

He hoped that the genuine political forces would express their solidarity with the PPP fighting for the supremacy of parliament, constitution, rule of law and rights of the general people.