KARACHI, March 21: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf chief Imran Khan has said that the most pressing issue today is the trend of price-hike which has made the common man’s life miserable.

Speaking at a crowded press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Monday, Mr Khan urged all political forces to pursue a one-point programme, soaring prices, for launching a movement against the government.

“Let us join the strike call given by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal for April 2 to give a clear message to Gen Musharraf asking him to concede his failure and step down, as he has lost the right to rule.”

Reiterating his demand that an independent and autonomous Election Commission be set up to conduct free, fair and transparent elections, he said without this, restoration of true democracy in the country was not possible.

Maintaining that merely holding elections is not enough to restore democracy, he asked: “Has democracy been restored in Iraq where the United States had recently organized elections?”

The PTI chief pointed out the prices of almost all commodities had gone up while there had been no raise in wages. He urged the government to provide at least some relief to people by reducing surcharge and other indirect taxes on petroleum products. “The indirect taxes are mainly responsible for increasing poverty in the country,” he said, adding that the rich were getting richer and the poor, poorer due to the government’s policies.

He said that the parliament had become no more than a ‘rubber stamp’ as all powers were being exercised by Gen Musharraf who was taking every decision by himself, over and above the parliament.

In reply to various questions, he clarified that his party had extended support to Gen Musharraf only because he had pledged putting an end to corruption and sham, and introduce real democracy. However, he added, when he deviated from his declared programme and joined hand with plunderers of the national resources, the PTI withdrew its support.

“Had the support been aimed at entering the power corridors, the PTI would not have opposed him today,” he argued. He, however, conceded that extending support to Gen Musharraf was his first and the last mistake. “I have decided to never support a military ruler, even if he is an angel,” he remarked.

When his attention was drawn to the talks reportedly under way between the government and certain opposition parties, including the PPP, for some sort of deal, Mr Khan said as far as his party was concerned, it was against striking any deal with Gen Musharraf.

“Today, there is hatred against the regime in masses. People are desperately seeking a change and if any party, including the PPP, resorted to compromising on democracy through a deal with the general, it would lose its face.”

People wanted a true democratic government which could maintain sovereignty and the independent status of the country, he added.

Imran Khan equated the prevailing situation in Balochistan with that in the former East Pakistan before the 1971 debacle. “The sense of deprivation was at its peak in the people of East Pakistan because the military rulers had been denying them any forum from where they could raise their voice. The people had lost faith even in Supreme Court.”

The absence of a council of common interests and the inordinate delay in announcing the NFC Award was increasing the sense of deprivation among people. Like Gen Yahya Khan, he remarked, the rulers were labelling the people raising their voice against injustices as ‘miscreants’. After the 1971 debacle, it was realized by all that the ‘miscreants’ were not a handful of people, but the entire population of East Pakistan.

Imran Khan said that the Balochistan issue could be resolved by restoring real democracy and granting autonomy to provinces.

In reply to another question, he stressed the need for sending an independent parliamentary delegation to Dera Bugti and Sui on a fact-finding mission. He pointed out that the Frontier Constabulary and Nawab Akbar Bugti had been giving absolutely different accounts of the incidents in that province.

He recalled that the government while giving its account of the Waziristan operation, had first claimed killing 70 foreigners, but it transpired later that none