SUKKUR, Jan 30: Speakers at a public meeting held under the auspices of the Pakistan Oppressed Nations' Movement on Sunday called upon the government to immediately withdraw troops from Balochistan and stop construction of cantonments in the province.

The central leader of the Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Mr Mehmood Khan Achakzai, said the country was virtually under martial law and provinces were being run by corps commanders.

He said the main cause of disharmony in the country was the government's spending of income of small provinces on Punjab. He demanded that resources be distributed judiciously among all provinces.

Sindh National Front chief Mumtaz Bhutto described the federal system as the source of all ills and called for a change of basic nature in the system. He said that democracy and solidarity required every person to get his rights.

He said the army rule was being nurtured through the so-called democracy in the country. He also said that cantonments were not needed in the country. He said he feared that after Wana and Balochistan, an operation would be launched in Sindh and Rangers had already been deployed in Shikarpur, Garhi Yasin, Jacobabad and other towns of the province.

He alleged that Sindh police officials kept in touch with outlaws on mobile phones. He said almost half of the armed forces and personnel of other agencies were being used to provide security for two VVIPs while the common people had been left at the mercy of bandits.

Mr Mumtaz Bhutto said the two major parties of the country, the PPP and the Muslim League always joined hands with the establishment. Qadir Magsi called upon all the oppressed nationalities to join hands to get rid of the army rule.

He said the oppressed people could not get their rights till the army rule was ended. He said all hostels of the Sindh University had been vacated on the eve of Gen Musharraf's visit to Jamshoro. Zain Shah, Qamar Bhatti, Maulana Azizullah Bohio, Azhar Jatoi and Majeed Kanjoo also spoke on the occasion.

RESOLUTIONS: Resolutions adopted at the meeting criticized the army action against the people of Balochistan. They demanded that work on the Gwadar seaport be stopped and the project be handed over to the Balochistan government.