January 1, 2006	Sunday	Ziqa’ad 29, 1426

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LAHORE, Dec 31: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) says the country has achieved nothing but animosity among federating units, worsening law and order, rising unemployment and poverty during the six years of Gen Musharraf’s rule.

Speaking at a joint press conference here on Saturday, ARD deputy information secretary Munir Ahmad Khan, Munir Gilani, Zaeem Qadri and others alleged that the government had also failed to meet several constitutional requirements.

“Compared with October 1999 (when Musharraf took over), the nation to date is more divided. There is no rule of law. State institutions have been totally militarized with all powers resting in one individual.”

Through the Kalabagh dam issue, they said, the Punjab had been pitted against the other federating units. “The government has also failed to announce the long-awaited Sixth National Finance Commission (NFC) award, depriving smaller provinces of their rights.”

The president, according to them, could not address the joint session of parliament for the consecutive second year, while the treasury failed to maintain quorum in the National Assembly and appoint a permanent Chief Election Commissioner since a year.

They said Gen Musharraf had ‘militarized’ all state institutions and backed out of his several promises made in public.

The law and order situation in Balochistan, Waziristan and other areas was deteriorating because of military operations, while the rest of the country had been left at the mercy of robbers and murderers, they added.

“The government has also failed to tackle the post-earthquake situation in Azad Kashmir and the NWFP and owing to its poor credibility, transfer of the world aid and soft loans promised at donors’ conference were yet awaited,” they claimed.

“Not a single penny has been transferred to the Pakistan government till Dec 29,” they said, quoting an official website.