APDM vows to block re-election: Legislators to quit assemblies
By Ahmed Hassan
ISLAMABAD, Sept 16: The All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) on Sunday condemned efforts to re-elect Gen Pervez Musharraf as president and declared that it would block the move by all means at its disposal.
Contending that under the Constitution, Gen Musharraf was ineligible for the office of the president, leaders of the alliance said that he could not hold the office of the chief of army staff and they would resist his attempts to retain either of the posts.
In an apparent effort to compensate for its failure to measure up to people’s expectations on Sept 10 and 11, the APDM decided to observe countrywide protests on Sept 21 to condemn Nawaz Sharif’s forced deportation to Saudi Arabia.
The APDM leadership called upon the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia not to support the dictatorial government against people’s struggle for civil freedoms and democracy.
They also criticised the Musharraf government for involving the rulers of a brotherly country to advance its own agenda.
Briefing reporters on decisions taken at the meeting, Raja Zafarul Haq rejected the notion that the APDM parties had failed to show up to welcome the former prime minister and said that leaders and workers of not only his party (the PML-N) but also of other parties had been detained by security agencies.
The alliance comprising 35 parties pledged to implement its decision of resigning from assemblies as soon as the presidential election schedule was announced and Gen Musharraf filed his papers.
The alliance said that its component parties could not put up a big show on Nawaz Sharif’s return because of stringent security measures and large-scale detentions.
The meeting, which lasted for about three hours, was attended by heads of all parties. Prominent among them were Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Imran Khan, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Asfandyar Wali Khan, Rasool Bakhsh Paleejo, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, Liaquat Baloch, Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Ahsan Iqbal, Mian Fazal Karim, former ISI chief Gen (retd) Hameed Gul, Roedad Khan and Mian Mohammad Aslam.
About APDM’s relations with the PPP after Benazir Bhutto’s return, Raja Zafarul Haq said it depended on the party’s attitude since it had adopted its own strategy for getting a share in power.
Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, another PML-N leader, said: “ARD had struggled for so long for the return of all exiled leaders. But now that Benazir Bhutto has opted to return home on her own, cooperation with her is not possible.” Mr Haq said that Maulana Fazlur Rahman, MMA’s secretary-general, was in Saudi Arabia and was expected to meet Nawaz Sharif on Sunday.
He said that the case of Gen Musharraf’s dual offices was being heard by the Supreme Court and leaders of the alliance had decided to attend the apex court’s proceedings on Sept 17 to express their views.
