08 August 2004	Sunday	21 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 7: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) has expressed its concern over "ongoing military operation" in Balochistan and decided to send a special team to the province to assess the situation.

This was announced by the alliance secretary-general, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, while briefing reporters on the decisions taken at a meeting of the heads of the alliance component parties here on Saturday.

The ARD leadership once again failed to announce any future programme for public mobilization and contended merely on passing a number of resolutions on issues of law and order, military operations in Balochistan and Wana, Iraq issue and political victimization of the opposition leaders.

Flanked by ARD deputy information secretary Munir Ahmed Khan and Nawabzada Mansoor Ahmed Khan, Mr Jhagra said the ARD special team would be headed by Makhdoom Amin Fahim while its members would be selected shortly.

He said the team would hold meetings with political and democratic forces of Balochistan to get the first hand knowledge of the issue. He said after receiving a report from the team, a strategy would be finalized to handle the issue.

He said the opposition believed that with the launching of military operation in Balochistan the government had created a 1971-like situation by putting the federation at stake. He said the government was committing the same mistake in Balochistan which it committed in Wana. "The consequences of the operation in Balochistan can be very dangerous," he warned.

He said the meeting, presided over by Amin Fahim, also expressed concern over the "complete breakdown of law and order" in the country. He said the recent terrorist attacks in the country showed that the government's internal as well as external policies had been completely failed.

The ARD, he said, also demanded of the government to make a categorical announcement that Pakistan would not send its troops to Iraq. He said the ARD considered the government responsible for the killing of two Pakistanis in Iraq.

Mr Jhagra said the alliance had passed a resolution demanding formation of a commission on Kargil war. He said earlier the demand was coming only from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, while the ARD had for the first time made this demand.

He alleged that the government had already started pre-poll rigging in Attock and Tharparkar by nominating Shaukat Aziz as the country' future prime minister. He said state funds were being openly used in the election campaign of Mr Aziz and the Election Commission was watching the whole affair as a spectator. He said huge portraits and hoardings of Shaukat Aziz had been placed on GT Road and at various places in Attock.