PESHAWAR, Dec 18: Pukhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, MNA, said on Saturday that all political forces should unite on a single-point agenda of ending the role of the armed forces in politics.
"All the parties should seek forgiveness from the nation for their past role of inviting the army to overthrow an elected government," he said while addressing the Peshawar High Court Bar Association.
Mr Achakzai termed the Kalabagh dam project "disastrous" for the country, pointing out that three provincial assemblies had passed resolutions against it.
He added: "The 1991 Water Accord should be revoked as the interest of smaller provinces, especially the Pukhtoonkhwa, had been ignored in it. A new accord should be inked in the light of international standards."
He said even parliament had no powers to sign agreements which were against the interest of federating units.
He said that if political forces could join hands for the removal of Nawaz Sharif then why they could not forge unity for ending the role of intelligence agencies and army in politics.
He claimed that at present four corps commanders had been supervising the provinces, while every district was being looked after by army majors.
He demanded that all nationalities be given due representation in the army. "Currently, the army represents the Punjabi imperialism and cannot be called a national army," he added.
Through the 17th Amendment, he added, unbridled powers had been assigned to Gen Pervez Musharraf, and claimed that he would continue to be an unconstitutional president because he was not elected through the mechanism provided in the Constitution.
The PMAP's leader said parliament had become a laughing stock as a Grade 22 serving general had been changing prime ministers according to his whims and caprices.
Answering a query regarding the visit of Punjab's chief minister to the Indian Punjab, he said that when "we talked" of improving ties with India "we were dubbed traitors" and now the nominees of Punjab's establishment "are exchanging turbans with Sikhs".
He queried: "When Punjab's chief minister can visit the Indian Punjab, why can't we visit Nangarhar and Qandahar to meet our brothers there?"
About the situation in Wana, he said that not a single inhabitant of Wana could say where Chechnya was situated. He added that the Chechen and Uzbek militants were guests of the US and they had settled them there.
