LAHORE, April 21: PML-Q former president Mian Azhar says the ruling party leadership has failed to come up to people’s expectations, and must be replaced by some effective person.

Talking to reporters at his residence before presiding over a meeting of his party workers, he said for the time being he wouldn’t say if he would contest the election of the party president, due to be held by Aug 14.

A former Punjab governor, Mian Azhar, also refused to say anything about his future role, but made it clear that he would take a decision in consultation with his workers.

His views about the government are almost similar to those of the opposition’s. However, he said it was rather premature to say if he would cooperate with the opposition parties.

He criticised the privatisation of the Pakistan Steel at what he called a throwaway price. What the government had received for the gigantic project was not equivalent even to the cost of land on which it was built, he said.

In his opinion, a project which was earning Rs7 billion in profits and paying another Rs8 billion in taxes should have either been expanded and run by the government or privatised at a reasonable price.

He alleged that the writ of the government was not seen anywhere and the provinces were working like independent states.

Appalled by the situation in Balochistan, he said recommendations of a parliamentary committee to resolve the problem had not been implemented by powers that be. He underlined the need for urgent talks to address the matter.

Law and order situation, he said, had slipped out of the government’s control.

He said after the overthrow of the PML-N government in October 1999, many people took the new rulers for saviours. The seven-point agenda given by Gen Musharraf suited the needs of the country, but it could not be implemented during the past six years.

As a result, he said, those who had supported the change of the government now stood disillusioned.

He told a questioner that the 2002 general election were not fair and even the next polls could not be expected impartial unless the pre-requisites identified by the opposition were met.

In his opinion the army should confine its role to defending the country. He said those who wanted that Gen Musharraf should stay in his uniform were in fact seeking a lease of life for themselves. He said it would be better if Chaudhry Shujaat Husain himself wore the uniform.

He said the exiled leadership should also be allowed to take part in the elections.