HYDERABAD, Jan 28: The general secretary of the People's Party Parliamentarians, Sindh chapter, Mr Nafees Ahmed Siddiqui, has said that people of this country have emerged losers in the power struggle between the establishment and the civil society for 57 years.

He was speaking at Meet the Press programme organized by the Hyderabad press club on Friday. MPA Zahid Bhurgari, former MPA Usman Kennedy, Amanullah Siyal and Fayaz Shah were present on the occasion.

Mr Siddiqui said the world had become unipolar but Pakistan was still not out of vicious circle of violence and terrorism. He criticized internal and external policies of the government and urged liberal, enlightened, progressive and democratic forces to join the PPP to extricate the country from crises.

He said it was necessary for the country to develop cordial relations with India. The PPP leader said it was the establishment which tried to sabotage peaceful relations between the two neighbouring countries.

Mr Siddiqui said trade and cultural relations and interaction between writers and poets of the two countries would go a long way in forging peaceful relations. He termed the present set-up as the "uniformed democracy" and said the army could not resolve problems of people.

He said the army action in Wana and Balochistan were aimed at diverting the attention of people from basic issues. The PPP leader said Balochistan was sitting on a volcano which could erupt any moment.

He claimed that it was the government of Benazir Bhutto which had laid the foundation stone of Gwadar for development of Balochistan. He said development did not mean the construction of roads and dislocation of locals.

Mr Siddiqui said the locals should be given priority over the fruits of development including employment opportunities. He stressed the need for holding talks by the real powers not only with the Baloch chieftains but also with the Baloch parties to defuse the volatile situation.

He said every one knew Chaudhry Shujaat was as powerless as the prime minister. Mr Siddiqui criticized the creation of new districts in Sindh and removal of the Awam Dost nazims.

He said Larkana was divided to cut the constituency of Benazir Bhutto while Jacobabad, Dadu and Mirpurkhas districts were bifurcated to please certain individuals and groups. He paid compliments to people of Hyderabad who had rejected the bifurcation of district and said it was due to their struggle the proposal had been dropped.

JI: Jamaat-i-Islami Hyderabad chief Shaikh Shaukat Ali has said that activists of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal will march on Islamabad if the central leadership issued such commands.