ISLAMABAD, Feb 27: Opposition parties on Monday decided to launch a ‘final and decisive struggle’ against the present setup headed by President Pervez Musharraf and formed a steering committee to finalise a programme for the movement.
A roundtable conference convened by the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) and attended by almost all opposition parties also announced backing for the March 3 strike called by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) to protest against blasphemous cartoons.
ARD chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim read out the joint declaration that lists various charges against the government from violation of the constitution to corruption and misrule.
“Giving any more time to the present setup and its creators will amount to playing with the existence of Pakistan and the present and future of its 160 million people. The conference declares to launch a final and decisive struggle to end the present setup and to restore the constitution to the position of Oct 12, 1999,” read the declaration.
ARD secretary-general Iqbal Zafar Jhagra will be the convener of the eight-member steering committee, Mr Fahim said.
Other members of the committee are People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) secretary-general Raja Pervez Ashraf, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed and Liaquat Baloch of the MMA, Amanullah Kanrani of the Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP), Ghulam Ahmed Bilour of the Awami National Party (ANP), Akbar Babar of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) and Manzoor Gillani of the Islamic Democratic Front (IDF).
The opposition parties seemed to be rejecting the 2007 election under the present government, saying that “accepting general election under the present setup will amount to promoting rigging and allowing a continuing violation of the constitution”.
The ARD chief alleged that the army was becoming “more and more controversial day by day” as General Musharraf continued to hold the office of the Chief of the Army Staff “blocking promotion of other deserving officers.”
The military operation in Balochistan was causing “public hatred for the army and Pakistan”, he said, calling for resolving the issue through dialogue. He said that 200 innocent people had been killed and hundreds of others injured in Balochistan so far.
Mr Fahim said that the number of the unemployed in the country had increased by three million in the past six years.
In the joint declaration, the opposition leaders expressed concern over the price-hike, sugar crisis and law and the order situation in the country.
The participants of the conference condemned the ‘brutal use’ of police against peaceful citizens attending rallies and demonstrations to condemn the publication of sacrilegious caricatures.
Addressing the conference, Leader of opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman said the opposition had given the call for the strike on March 3 before the announcement of the schedule of the US president’s visit and it was only coincidence that Mr Bush would be arriving in Islamabad the same day.
He said 70,000 troops had been deployed in tribal areas at Washington’s request and feared that the so-called war on terrorism could spread to other areas.
PTI chief Imran Khan held the US president responsible for the killing of over 100,000 people in Iraq. He announced that the PTI would hold a march from Rawalpindi to Islamabad at the time of the US president’s arrival.
Syeda Abida Hussain said all parties should resolve not to take part in any election under the present regime.
Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch of the Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement said atrocities were being committed on the people of Balochistan on the pattern of Palestine and Kashmir. He suggested that the combined opposition should also give call for a countrywide strike on the Balochistan issue.
Ghulam Ahmed Bilour of the ANP said that Gen Musharraf’s devolution of power plan had put the local government system under the GHQ.
Most leaders criticized the US for supporting Gen Musharraf.
Several participants said the time had come for opposition members to resign from assemblies. Seraiki leader Taj Mohammad Langah suggested one resignation every day to force the government to hold early elections.
Answering a question about resignations by opposition members, Mr Fahim said such a course could be decided by the steering committee.
Prominent among those who attended the conference were Enver Baig, Nafees Siddiqi, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Raja Zafrul Haq, Jehangir Badar, Maulana Samiul Haq, Raza Mohammad Raza, Syed Fakhar Imam, Siddiqul Farooque, Shahid Bugti and Abdul Rauf Mengal.
ISLAMABAD, Feb 27: Opposition parties on Monday decided to launch a ‘final and decisive struggle’ against the present setup headed by President Pervez Musharraf and formed a steering committee to finalise a programme for the movement.
