PESHAWAR: Opposition parties join hands for Monday protest
Bureau Report
PESHAWAR, March 24: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy has directed its component parties to organise protest rallies, meetings and processions at division levels on Monday to express solidarity with legal fraternity in its struggle for the reinstatement of Chief Justice of Pakistan and against Gen Pervez Musharraf.
Speaking at a joint press conference at the Hayatabad residence of Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Saranjam Khan on Saturday, PML leader Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan, People’s Party Parliamentarian’s Provincial President Rahimdad Khan and Awami National Party’s Provincial President Bashir Ahmed Bilour said that their struggle would continue till the resignation of Gen Musharraf, dissolution of present assemblies, formation of an impartial caretaker government and free and fair elections under an independent election commission.
The ANP, though not a member of the ARD, also endorsed the protest programme arranged by the ARD, and said it had directed its district organisations to hold protest meetings on Monday.
The Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal has also supported the ARD protest call.
PPP Provincial General Secretary Najmuddin Khan, PPP Parliamentary leader in the NWFP Assembly Abdul Akbar Khan, PML Parliamentary leader in the NWFP Assembly Anwar Kamal Khan and ANP’s Central Information Secretary Zahid Khan were present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Sardar Mehtab Khan said that the seven-year military dictatorship had destroyed all democratic, constitutional and legal institutions and turned the country into a fiefdom of generals.
He said the generals had made the elected parliament a rubber stamp, deprived the judiciary of its due status and gagged freedom of press.
He claimed that Gen Mushatrraf had ‘suspended’ Justice Chaudhary in order to strengthen his ‘dictatorial grip’ on the country, but Justice Chaudhry had proved his mettle by refusing to give in to diktat of the dictator.
He said today all genuine political forces, legal fraternity and free media were with the Chief Justice. He demanded early reinstatement of the Chief Justice and resignation of Gen Musharraf.
He said PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif had backed calls for getting the Chief Justice reinstated and ending the military rule in the country.
Mr Rahimdad Khan said that the ANP would extend full support to the ARD against what he called the dictatorial measures of military rulers.
He said Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s principled stand had strengthened the democratic struggle in the country.
He said military rulers had failed to check growing lawlessness, unemployment and price-hike in the country during the last seven years.
Mr Bashir Ahmed Bilour said that ANP had decided to support the democratic struggle against military rulers who had destroyed all institutions and brought the country on the verge of collapse.
He said Gen Ayub had introduced the Principle of Parity and deprived Bengalis’ of their basic rights, Gen Yahya Khan facilitated the dismemberment of the country, Gen Zia brought heroin and Kalashnikov culture to the country and Gen Musharraf gave the gift of suicide bombers to the nation.
He said his party had always struggled against the destructive legacy of the generals.
