28 November 2004	Sunday	15 Shawwal 1425

LAHORE, Nov 27: The Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf has predicted the collapse of the present setup as a result of the movement planned by all opposition parties, necessitating fresh elections next year.

PTI chairman Imran Khan said at a news conference here on Saturday the movement would yield results like the one by the Pakistan National Alliance against the then prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

If a strong and legitimate government of Mr Bhutto could not withstand public pressure, the present fragile setup "devoid of legitimacy and which owed its existence to the establishment" could not be expected to survive a united push by parties of all shades of opinion, the PTI chairman argued.

Mr Khan said all parties believed that 2005 would be the year of the general elections.

He said division among pro- and anti-establishment parties would become clear in the near future and the PTI would stand on the side of the latter.

The PTI would join hands with any party or group of parties committed to an independent judiciary, election and National Accountability Bureau.

For the time being, he said, the PTI would support rallies planned both by the ARD and the MMA and would also hold its own to mobilize the electorate against the regime.

When it was pointed out that his party had been critical of the forces now in opposition after which it might be difficult for him to go with them as an ally, Mr Khan said the PTI would explain its case to the people.

He said when the democratic governments were in power, corruption was the biggest problem of the country and the PTI had opposed the ruling parties for their respective failure to control the menace.

But, at present the very existence of the institutions was at stake because of which the PTI would have to change its stand and priorities.

He told a questioner that the government was underestimating the threat posed by opposition parties. The view that the common man was not interested whether Gen Musharraf retained his uniform or shed it, was a miscalculation. Once the opposition forces got together, the movement would pick up, leaving no room for any one to pause and see whether the issues were relevant or irrelevant, big or small.

Mr Khan said the statement issued by various government functionaries after the release of Asif Zardari had undermined the credibility of the judiciary. Even the common man believed that the release had come about as a result of political understanding rather than judicial process.

Most people, he said, now thought that the government had weakened and was trying to strike deals even with its opponents in an attempt to survive.

The PTI chairman said his party was preparing for elections. Going by the past experience, the party had decided not to go for a solo flight.