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| 10 April 2005 | Sunday | 30 Safar 1426 |
Minister’s remarks on Asif’s return denounced
ISLAMABAD, April 9: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Vice- Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim has denounced the statement of Federal Minister for Information Sheikh Rashid Ahmad that Asif Zardari’s return to Pakistan can undermine the possibility of broad-based reconciliation with political parties.
The information minister had said in an interview that the broad-based reconciliation with political parties would flounder if Mr Zardari returned to Pakistan and held public meetings.
In a statement here on Saturday, Mr Fahim said it was surprising that on one hand the regime claimed that it was working for broad-based reconciliation with political parties, and on the other it was threatening these very parties.
He said holding of public meetings and reaching out to the masses was a basic democratic and constitutional right of the parties. The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the ruling Pakistan Muslim League were all holding rallies, public meetings and million marches to mobilize people. “How can the democratic parties be denied this right,” he said.
The PPP leader said earlier cases against some political leaders, who forsake the demand for democracy or joined the regime’s bandwagon, were withdrawn, while parties like the PPP were still being hounded in the name of accountability. Now these parties are being asked not even to speak in public in support of democracy, constitution and the rule of law, he added.
Last week, he said, the information minister had stated that there was no pressure on the regime for reconciliation with the PPP. Now to prove his point, the PPP is being stopped from carrying out its normal political activities, he said.
Mr Fahim said by not following democratic norms and insisting on punishing the PPP through measure such as persecuting the party leadership through the National Accountability Bureau, the rulers had made their intentions known to the people.
He said the announcements and statements by the government functionaries had exposed the talk of so-called reconciliation with democratic political parties as merely a public relations exercise.
He said return of Asif Zardari and local government elections would expose the regime’s real intentions.
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