June 19, 2007	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 03, 1428

ISLAMABAD, June 18: Chief of Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Mehmood Khan Achakzai in his hard hitting speech in the National Assembly on Monday lambasted the secret agencies for meddling in the country’s political affairs and demanded a new constitution to save Pakistan from disintegration.

Taking part in the general debate on the Federal Budget 2007-08, the PkMAP chief feared disintegration of the country if they failed to develop a consensus to resolve the present crisis being faced by Pakistan.

The PkMAP chief said it was true that the constitution was sacred, but human needs were more sacred. He said if Allah could change His books only to meet the requirements of human beings, then why they could not change the constitution.

The PkMAP leader said that there were talks about the dissolution of the National Assembly on July 10. He said the country had plunged into crises soon after the elections in 1970 and 1977 and it could face another serious crisis if elections were announced without resolving the present issues.

Mr Achakzai alleged that the military establishment and the people from Punjab had decided to deprive Pakistan of democracy. He said the military personnel were so determined to stay in power that they did not even hesitate in breaking up the country.

Referring to late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, he said one former prime minister of the country was hanged because it was the decision of army and Punjabi establishment.

Mr Achakzai said that through the National Security Council (NSC) under the leadership of four army generals every thing had been handed over to the army. He alleged that Pakistan’s internal and external policies were being devised by intelligence agencies. He further alleged that the intelligence agencies had turned the religious seminaries into terrorists’ dens. He said the rulers could deceive the nation but they could not mislead the US. “Why are you hiding that thousands of Tajiks, Chechens and other foreigners are living in Pakistan?” he asked. “Terrorists from all over the world are living in tribal areas between Bajaur and River Gomal,” he added. He called for expulsion of foreigners and withdrawal of Pakistani troops from the tribal areas.

The PkMAP leader said that the countries intelligence agencies had gone out of control and become a mad elephant. So much so, he alleged, that the intelligence agencies were even patronising the rebels of China, which was considered to be the best friend of Pakistan. He further alleged that the intelligence agencies spent Rs5 million in each National Assembly constituency and Rs3.5 million in provincial assemblies’ seats.

He said that Pakhtoons, Seraikis, Balochis and Sindhis had been demanding right to rule in their own homelands for the past many years. He demanded that the Seraiki people should have their own province.

Mr Achakzai said today Pakistan was being accused of selling nuclear technology and interfering in the internal affairs of others. Similarly, he said, the world believed that Pakistan’s secret agencies were patronizing the terrorists all over the world. He invited the ruling party and the opposition members to join hands to put the country on the path of democracy. He said the The PkMAP leader regretted that no action had been taken against any one over the killing of so many people in Karachi on May 12 when the chief justices visited the city. He was of the view that after this incident, the Sindh governor and the provincial government should be removed. He warned that armed militias would surface and Karachi would become another Lebanon, if things continued to move in the same fashion.

In his concluding remarks, Mr Achakzai lamented that the scions of past military dictators were still running the country’s affairs, saying: “it is the beauty of democracy that the grandson (State Minister for Finance Omar Ayub Khan) of the first military dictator (Ayub Khan) had presented the budget, the son (Religious Affairs Minister Ijazul Haq) of the second military dictator (Gen Ziaul Haq) was looking after the religion and Humayun Akhtar, the son of another powerful general and the head of the ISI (Gen Akhtar Abdul Rehman) is also a minister.”