PESHAWAR, Jan 13: The provincial executive council of the Pakistan People’s Party has observed that a fair and transparent election under an independent Election Commission is the only way to resolve to the prevailing crisis.

The council met here on Sunday at the residence of PPP general secretary Najmuddin Khan. It said that the removal of the caretaker set-up and formation of a national government, comprising all major political parties, was essential for making the electoral exercise a success. It demanded restoration of deposed judges of superior courts and early dissolution of the local governments.

The council endorsed all decisions made by the PPP Central Executive Committee in Naudero and reposed confidence in the leadership of chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari. It underlined the need for strengthening the party on policies set by the slain leader Benazir Bhutto. It paid tributes to Ms Bhutto and said her killers had pushed the country towards uncontrollable instability. The meeting vowed that it would continue its struggle against the ‘evil forces of dictatorship’, which had inflicted irreparable losses to the cause of democracy, rule of law and integrity of the country.

The council said held ‘the dictator and their lackeys’ responsible for the ‘wilful murder’ of Ms Bhutto. A number of resolutions were passed in the meeting, demanding an early end to the price-hike, lawlessness, terrorism, loadshedding and hoarding of edible items like flour, ghee and sugar across the country.

The meeting said the present loadshedding and flour crises were results of the anti-people policies of the Musharraf regime.