May 30, 2006	Tuesday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 2, 1427

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LAHORE, May 29: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) on Monday held the prevailing dictatorial system responsible for the price-hike and growing unemployment in the country. A committee of the coalition, which diagnosed the problem, proposed at a news conference that the defence budget should be cut and reemployment of the retired military and civil officials banned so that countless younger people in search of a source of livelihood could get jobs.

The committee comprised PML-N leader Begum Tehmina Daultana, PPP leader Munir Ahmed Khan and PDP’s Nawaz Gondal.

The ARD at a recent meeting had constituted the committee and tasked it to explore reasons behind the deteriorating law and order situation and the skyrocketing prices of items of daily use.

The three-member committee said ‘middlemen’ were responsible for the prevailing sugar crisis.

When it was pointed out that top leaders of the PML-N and some legislators of the PPP also owned sugar mills and they had withheld their stocks beyond the permissible limits, the committee members said action should be taken against anyone responsible for the situation, irrespective of his political affiliation or status. They alleged that some cabinet members also owned sugar mills and were responsible for the sugar crisis.

Munir Khan said once relations with India were improved, Pakistan would not have to spend as much on its defence as it was having to allocate at present.

Tehmina compared the prices of various items as they were in October 1999 when the PML-N government was overthrown and now. She said the price-hike had broken the back of the common man.

Munir Khan came up with statistics showing the increase in the crime rate, and claimed that 1,732 people had committed suicide since the takeover by Gen Musharraf.

He claimed that 7,560 retired military and civil officials had been employed by the rulers, because of which younger people could not get jobs.

He vehemently opposed the process of privatization, especially of the Steel Mills, and said the sale of national assets was not the solution to the economic problems of the country.

He demanded that the defence budget should be reduced and reemployment of retired officials banned.

Tehmina said the country needed an army which could defend the country and not the one which added to the problems of the common man.

Nawaz Gondal said that it was the job of the opposition to keep a watchful eye on the government and keep it on the track.

He said it was with this objective in mind that opposition parties had held several news conferences against the Sharif government at the PDP House. He said nobody could ever think that the army would overthrow a political government.