ISLAMABAD, Nov 20: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) has announced that it will launch a countrywide mass mobilization campaign against the government with a public meeting in Peshawar on Dec 6.
Briefing reporters after a meeting here on Saturday, ARD Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim said the Alliance had decided to launch its own protest movement and it would not take part in the public meetings of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA).
Mr Fahim said that he and PML-N chairman Raja Zafarul Haq had held telephonic conversation with the Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly and MMA Secretary-General Maulana Fazlur Rahman.
Since Mr Haq was proceeding abroad on a week-long visit, he said further negotiations with the religious alliance would be held on his return. "Until and unless a final decision is made, the ARD will not take part in the MMA's public meetings," he said.
Mr Fahim said under the agreement, reached between the religious alliance and the government, Gen Musharraf was bound to shed his uniform by December 31. He said it was good to know that the MMA leadership had also realized that democracy could not be run in the country under the shadow of military uniform.
Announcing the schedule, he said, the ARD would hold public meetings in Mirpur (Azad Kashmir), Sialkot, Sukkur and Sargodha on December 13, December 20, January 2 and January 14, respectively. He said the dates for public meetings in other cities would be announced later.
He said the ARD leaders had decided to intensify its struggle for the restoration of democracy and sovereignty of parliament. He said the government had completely failed to provide protection to the life and property of the people of Pakistan and, therefore, it must immediately quit.
Mr Fahim regretted that on one hand people were upset due to price-hike and on the other hand, innocent people were being murdered in mosques. He regretted that laws were being made only to facilitate one person.
Asked about Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz's offer for talks to the opposition, he wondered what issues the government wanted to discuss with the opposition after it had passed the uniform bill and presented options for resolving the Kashmir dispute.
He said Jamiat-i-Ulema-Islam (Fazal Karim group) had also joined the ARD while negotiations were under way with the Awami National Party (ANP) in this regard.
Those who attended the meeting were: PPP Secretary-General Raja Pervez Ashraf, Jahangir Badar, PPP Punjab President Qasim Zia, PML-N Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq, Syed Zafar Ali Shah, Tehmina Daultana, Khwaja Saad Rafiq and Khan Amanullah Khan of the PML (Qayyum).
