November 15, 2007	Thursday	Ziqa’ad 04, 1428

QUETTA, Nov 14: Pakistan People’s Party has contacted the leadership of nationalist parties of Balochistan to establish a grand opposition alliance in order to get rid of the Musharraf regime.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Nawabzada Haji Lashkari Raisani alleged that Gen Musharraf had imposed the state of emergency in the name of terrorism but the real objective was to suppress independent judiciary and sideline Benazir Bhutto in polls, paving the way for victory of the ruling PML in the elections.

He said he had met National Party chief Dr Hayee Baloch, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai and a leader of the Balochistan National Party (Mengal group) and delivered a message from Ms Bhutto for the establishment of a grand alliance of opposition parties to launch a collective struggle against the imposition of state of emergency and virtual military dictatorship.

Mr Raisani claimed that PPP-government talks were not for power sharing but to avert confrontation to achieve peaceful transfer of power after polls.

Accusing President Musharraf of misleading people and the international community, he said the military ruler was using emergency as an excuse to use state apparatus against the civil society, targeting political workers, media men and human rights activists. He alleged that the government was encouraging militancy in Swat to divert people’s attention.