QUETTA, Oct 7: Ponam's vice-president Mahmood Khan Achakzai has said that the nationalist alliance would support a political movement against the Musharraf government.

He rejected the MMA's call for a joint struggle on the issue of the president's uniform.

Addressing a public meeting in remembrance of those 'martyred' on October 7, 1983, at the Sadiq shaheed football ground on Thursday, the chief of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party held the MMA leadership responsible for what he called a 'perpetual martial law' in the country by endorsing the 17th amendment to the Constitution.

Mr Achakzai paid rich tributes to those killed on Oct 7, 1983, by police firing in Quetta during a procession of Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD) against the late military dictator, Gen Ziaul Haq.

He said that another military ruler had undermined the constitutional rule in the country. He categorically declared that Ponam would extend support only to democratic parties wanting to end the army's political role and willing to rid the nation of the Musharraf government.

He said the shedding of uniform was not an important issue, so the nationalist alliance would not join the religious parties' struggle for the purpose. Mr Achakzai criticized the MMA for "betraying the combined opposition" on the LFO issue by casting vote in favour of the 17th amendment. That action consolidated the military ruler, he added.

He said the basic objective of Ponam was to achieve national rights for the Pakhtuns, Balochs, Sindhis and Saraikis, as guaranteed by the Constitution, so that the oppressed nationalities became owners of their resources.

He said these resources should be utilized for the betterment of people of respective provinces. The Ponam leader accused the military establishment of protecting the interest of Punjab at the cost of what he called the 'deprived provinces'. He alleged that the resources of Pakhtuns, Balochs, Sindhis and Saraikis were being plundered.

He said the people of Balochistan, Sindh and the NWFP were being deprived of their gas, seaport revenue and electricity. He said the dominant province was taking benefit of these resources.

The PMAP leader decried the army's interference in political matters which, he said, undermined the supremacy of parliament, judiciary and democratic institutions. He said the political parties must launch a unified struggle against the military dictatorship.

He asserted that his party was struggling to unite the divided Pukhtun areas under one administrative setup which should either be named Pakhtunkhwa or Pakthunistan. "Other ethnic groups enjoyed their separate entities but we are denied that right," he said.

He demanded dismantling of checkpoints in the interior of Balochistan that caused a lot of trouble for the people when their vehicles were searched. The reality was that drug traffickers and smugglers were given free access for the transport of contraband items by the law enforcement agencies, he claimed.

Referring to the presidential polls in Afghanistan, the PMAP leader criticized Mullah Omar, Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Maulana Fazlur Rehman for what he called their "negative approach". He said these religious figures supported the election process in Pakistan but opposed the same for Afghans.

The PMAP leader claimed that had Mullah Omar enjoyed the backing of Afghans' majority, he would not have asked his followers to stage subversive acts. He said the Afghans believed in democratization of their country instead of capturing power through violence. Senator Nawab Ayaz Khan Jogezai, Abdur Rahim Mandokhel, Dr Kaleemullah, Abdur Rauf and others also spoke on the occasion.