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| August 24, 2005 | Wednesday | Rajab 18, 1426 |
Political parties urged to unite for democracy
QUETTA, Aug 23: Speakers at a seminar here have appealed for consensus among political groupings on a minimum common agenda ‘‘to rid the nation of military rulers and pro-establishment forces that have usurped the people’s right to govern’’.
Without mobilising all segments of society, the nation cannot rid itself of military dictators, the speakers said at a seminar on “Transparent Resources—Real Politics” organized by Civic Education Pakistan on Tuesday.
Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch, chief of the National Party (NP), accused the past and present rulers of holding all national institutions hostage and harming the country’s integrity. “The military dictators deprived the people of their right to rule by toppling elected governments for the last 57 years,” he said.
Dr Hayee invited all political parties, NGOs and other segments of society to come forward and get united on a minimum agenda for ousting dictators in the country.
The Balochistan National Congress president, Dr Abdul Hakeem Lehri, underlined the need for changing the thinking of the people and creating awareness to understand the real issues being faced by them.
He regretted that political parties had not as yet guided the masses in the right direction and had instead divided them on the basis of religion, sect, language and clan.
Habib Jalib Baloch, secretary general of the Balochistan National Party (Mengal), said that the country’s resources were “under the control of individuals and groups who were unjust when it came to distribution of those resources”.
He observed that transparency needed impartiality and justice and the same was not being provided in our society. “So how can one expect transparency in the distribution of resources?” he asked.
The leader of the PML-N, Khuda-i-Noor, said that military rulers had repeatedly destroyed the democratic credentials of the country, toppling elected governments and not allowing them to complete five-year terms.
He said that it was a great tragedy that the 1973 Constitution could not save its creator who was hanged by a military dictator. He demanded that article 6 of the constitution be implemented against those who violated and destroyed the constitution.
Advocate Inayatullah said that Pakistan did not need such a huge army and called for drastic cuts in defence spending and diverting the money saved thereby on the welfare of the people.
Candidates for the post of nazim, Rukhsana Ahmed Ali of the PPP, Ms Nasim Taj and Ms Samina Saeed also spoke on the occasion and pleaded that the local body system should be made more stronger for resolving the problems of the people at grass-root level.
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