PESHAWAR, July 13: The Pakistan People’s Party on Thursday urged ‘genuine’ political forces to endorse the charter of democracy which, it says, has “challenged the present autocratic rule”.

Speaking at a press conference here, a member of the PPP’s federal council Syed Mir Mohammad said the regime had been misinterpreting and criticising the charter for selfish motive.

He described the signing of the charter as the most important move in the political history of the country, after the 1973 Constitution.

He said that through the charter PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto and PML leader Nawaz Sharif had asked people to join hands to defend their fundamental, political and economic rights.

He said the charter had called for a caretaker government to hold general elections in a free, fair and transparent manner under an independent election commission.

The members of the interim setup and their relatives should not be allowed to contest the polls, he added.

The PPP leader said that ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’, proposed in the charter, would conduct inquiries into military coups, removal of governments, the Kargil incident and against National Accountability Bureau authorities who were using NAB against political opponents.

He pointed out that the abolition of the concurrent list would ensure maximum provincial autonomy.

The charter, he said, had made a specific reference to economic conditions, poverty and unemployment and committed to solve these issues.

ANP CONDEMNS: The Awami National Party has condemned the recent bomb attacks in Mumbai. According to an ANP press release, Asfandiar Wali Khan who is currently leading a party delegation on a visit to India. The delegation held meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, chief of the Congress party Mrs Sonia Gandhi and the foreign minister of India.