15 October 2004	Friday	29 Shaban 1425

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PESHAWAR, Oct 14: Condemning the continuous detention of PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari, leaders of three major political parties on Thursday announced that they would launch a joint struggle for his release.

Speaking at a seminar, arranged by the Asif Zardari Release Committee, leaders of the People's Party Parliamentarians, PML-N and the Awami National Party criticized President Gen Pervez Musharraf for establishing an authoritarian set-up and endangering national security.

PPP MNA Raja Pervez Ashraf said that the National Assembly had added the blackest chapter in its history by adopting a bill which allowed Gen Musharraf to keep the posts of president and army chief simultaneously.

He criticized the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal for providing a safe passage to Gen Musharraf through the 17th Amendment. He said that morally corrupt people had been ruling the country and they wanted to make an army general part of parliament.

Mr Ashraf said there was no rule of law in the country and an atmosphere of terror and depotism was prevailing. "In such a situation, the only option left to the masses is to come out on roads and overthrow the ruler," he added.

The PPP leader said the government had been trying to create an impression that covert talks were being held between the PPP and military, which was a lie. "If Mr Zardari was to compromise he would not have spent eight years in prison," he added.

PPP's provincial president, Raheem Dad Khan, said the PPP workers were not scared of prisons and they were ready to launch a movement for the release of Mr Zardari. The speakers condemned the passage of the bill about the army uniform, stating: "Quaid-i-Azam's Pakistan has now ceased to exist and the present Pakistan belongs to the army."

Leaders of the PML-N and the ANP announced their full support for efforts for the release of Mr Zardari. They said that all genuine political forces were proud of the sacrifices rendered by Mr Zardari for the cause of democracy.

They also opposed the government plan to construct Kalabagh Dam, stating that it was against the solidarity of the country. Prominent advocate Babar Awan said the government had registered concocted cases against Mr Zardari just to put pressure on him, but it failed in its design.

He added that till date not a single case had been proved against him and in some cases even the prosecution witnesses deposed that Mr Zardari was innocent. Mr Awan named various federal ministers against whom references had been pending before accountability courts but they were made ministers only for the reason that they agreed to play a role in dividing the PPP.

He stated that among political prisoners in Southeast Asia, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad and Bacha Khan had served long terms in prison, but Mr Zardari had now been detained for the longest period as on Nov 5 he would complete eight years in detention.

PML-N central general secretary Sar Anjam Khan stated that the detention of Mr Zardari was unconstitutional and illegal. He added that the passage of the bill by the National Assembly on uniform had proved that there was no rule of law and constitution in the country.

"In a country where genuine leadership was forced to leave the country, how could we demand the release of Mr Zardari," he asked. He said that Mr Zardari and Mr Javed Hashmi were in the prison because they refused to serve the interests of the army.