KOHAT, Jan 13: Former federal law minister Syed Iftikhar Hussain Gilani has said that politicians belonging to Punjab have surrounded President Pervez Musharraf and are misguiding him on important national issues. Talking to local journalists at an Eid millan party at his residence he said that senior politicians had formed this Independent Democratic Group to launch a movement for establishment of a real democratic culture in the country and to help the federation keep constitutional balance among all federating units. He said that members of the group were in touch with mature parliamentarians to evolve a consensus against military and political dictatorship.

He said that the president backed out from his promise to doff uniform because his incompetent cronies wanted to cling to power by prolonging cosmetic democracy. He, however, said President Musharraf was a good administrator and a sincere leader but Punjabi politicians led him off the track and he become an easy prey to them like his predecessors.

“It is time for senior politicians to guide masses and the government and to strive for free and fair elections in the country”, he said, adding it was time to obstruct politicians declared corrupt by NAB courts from coming into power once again.

He said that Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif had betrayed the people while they were in power while people had also seen the real face of religious parties.

He said that these leaders had learned nothing from their past mistakes and would again indulge in confrontation if elected into power.

In response to a question he said that it would be a great injustice with smaller provinces if the government constructed Kalabagh dam without removing reservations of Sindh and the NWFP.

He said that at present he was not associated with any political party and had no desire to join any one of PML-N, PPP, and PML-Q. He said he left the former two on the issue of eighth amendment and sham democratic set up.

He said there was no room for religious parties because people wanted to establish modern democracy with an enlightened and moderate Islamic society. He said whatever had been said by Allama Iqbal with regard to involvement of Islamic forces in state affairs did not suit present day Islamic world and in fact his poetry had become redundant.