09 October 2004	Saturday	23 Shaban 1425

LAHORE, Oct 8: Leaders of the National Democratic Front (NDF) at a meeting under the chairmanship of Air Marshal Asghar Khan on Friday proposed that all state institutions should work within the limits set by the constitution and all important decisions be taken by parliament.

The meeting was held at the residence of NDF's provincial chief Mian Azhar. The participants, including former speaker Illahi Bux Soomro, Tariq Chaudhry, Syed Nusrat Ali Shah, Haneef Goraya, Chaudhry Ashraf and others, discussed the political situation in the country and tried to identify the possible reasons behind the alleged failure of the government on all fronts.

They took exception to the government's decision to impose a ban on processions and rallies, saying the step not only manifested the government's ineptness but also infringed upon the fundamental rights of the people.

Political parties and patriotic organizations should be provided with a conducive atmosphere to play their role in promoting unity and bringing an end to the prevalent unrest, they said.

Mian Azhar demanded that Mian Nawaz Sharif and Ms Benazir Bhutto should be allowed to return home. Thereafter, he said, fresh elections should be held at the earliest.

The Air Marshal said that the NDF would struggle for the restoration of the 1973 Constitution, independence of the judiciary and eradication of the ISI's alleged role in politics.

He was of the view that Gen Musharraf should take off his uniform as even as president he would remain the supreme commander of the armed forces. The participants demanded that politics of vendetta should be buried and 'looters in the ranks of the government' be held accountable. The accountability should be carried out by courts, they said.

They also called for the establishment of an independent election commission for free and fair elections. Establishment of a national monitoring cell on the law and order situation, inquiry into the housing schemes, and a relief package for the common man were other proposals given by the participants.