July 06, 2006	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 9, 1427

KARACHI, July 5: The Pakistan People’s Party marked anniversary of the 1977 military coup by observing a ‘black day’ on Wednesday and renewing the resolve to dislodge dictatorships of all sorts through popular support.

It’s Karachi chapter organised a rally outside the Karachi Press Club where PPP leaders strongly condemned the regime for failing to contain mounting employment, spiral of price-hike and persisting power crisis. They also slammed the government for victimising political dissent and deteriorating law and order situation throughout the country.

They described the Charter of Democracy, signed recently by PPP and PML-N leadership in London and endorsed by almost all opposition parties, as a significant milestone for the restoration of democratic dispensation and emancipation of people.

They also demanded withdrawal of all cases against the PPP chairperson and release of all political opponents of the military government.

A large number of PPP leaders, including Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Nafees Siddiqui, Waqar Mehdi, Rashid Rabbani, Rafique Engineer, Afaq Shahid and Saeed Ghani participated in a march from Regal Chowk to the KPC.

The markers were carrying party flags and portraits of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, whose government was toppled by Gen Ziaul Haq on July 5, 1977 in a military coup. The protesters were raising slogans against military dictatorships. They also deplored the ‘anti-people’ policies of the present military-led government.

Sindh chief of the PPP Syed Qaim Ali Shah said the “usurper regime has endangered national security and failed in providing basic facilities and rights to people.” He aid that the regime had adopted coercive means to suppress people’s voice.

Mr Shah declared that despite these anti-people polices, the PPP would not give up its struggle for democratic dispensation and empowerment of people.

He recalled the struggle by PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for people’s democratic rights and ‘Roti, Kapra aur Makaan’ for the poor of the country. He regretted that “Bonapartes and their henchmen toppled his government and played havoc with the country’s Constitution and democratic institutions to deprive people of all their rights.”

He said that today, a lone person was playing with the destiny of the entire nation, and said that time had come for the people to deal a final blow to the dictatorship of Gen Musharraf through their unity, courage and steadfastness.

He slammed the regime for instituting “false and politically-motivated cases against Benazir Bhutto, Asif Zardari and others, and in this context, he cited the most recent FIRs against leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and four other MPAs.

Mr Shah said that without Ms Bhutto, restoration of democracy in Pakistan was not possible.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Khuhro said that because of the usurpation of rights, coercion, lack of security, persisting power and water shortage, people had taken to the streets. He said the coercive policies of the regime would not deter the PPP cadre from their struggle for democracy.

Referring to the FIR lodged against him and four PPP MPAs, Mr Khuhro said such cowardly acts at the behest of the ruling party could not compel his colleagues to stop challenging the regime’s anti-people policies and questionable conduct of the chief minister and his henchmen who, he alleged, were seriously undermining sanctity of institutions, including the assembly.

“We will fight till the final victory of people and will never run away… we will not show our back to the usurpers,” declared Mr Khuhro.

Secretary General of the Sindh PPP Nafees Siddiqui said that July 5 was being observed a ‘black day’ against dictatorship since 1977 and now also against Gen Musharraf”s dispensation under which justice and rule of law had been guillotined.

Nafees Siddiqui paid tribute to the PPP cadre for enduring the brutalities during Gen Zia’s regime and for facing the challenge of Musharraf regime with an even stronger resolve and courage.

Rashid Rabbani, Rafique Engineer, Waqar Mehdi, Afaq Shahid, Saeed Ghani, Mirza Maqbool, Fareed Ansari, Qasim Baloch, Farzana Baloch , Raja Razzaq and several other leaders addressed the rally.