January 24, 2008	Thursday	Muharram 14, 1429

LAHORE, Jan 23: The All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) has sought government’s ‘help’ to make its elections’ boycott campaign a success.

The alliance is, however, not demanding manpower or funds for organising its activities during the campaign and needs just legal help in this connection.

Punjab APDM convener Ahsan Rasheed demanded, at a press conference here on Wednesday, the provincial government should lift the ban imposed on holding rallies under Section 144 so that the alliance could hold its rallies, stage protest demonstrations and organise public meetings across the province to achieve their objective of persuading a maximum number of voters not to use their right to franchise on Feb 18 (provided the polls held on that day).

Precluding any wrong message the demand may furnish to the authorities that in case of denial of help the APDM may forego its boycott campaign, Mr Rasheed clarified that the alliance would continue its political activities even if their demand was not met.

Rather, there will be no break in the activities, as, he said, the activists of the alliance’s component parties would participate in the lawyers’ rally to be held outside Aiwan-i-Adl on Thursday (today). The event would be repeated every Thursday.

Protest camps would also be organised from Feb 1 while on Feb 2 a rally would be taken out from Nasser Bagh, he added.

Alleging that President Pervez Musharraf’s policies had damaged the Kashmir cause, he said the APDM would also observe the Feb 5 as Kashmir Solidarity Day and a rally would be taken out on The Mall with the help of civil society.

A committee was also being formed to devise a strategy in consultation with lawyers and civil society for a joint protest against the polls and pressing for restoration of the higher judiciary to its pre-Nov 3 position, Rasheed said. Jamaat-i-Islami’s Waqas Jaferi and Farooq Chohan were also present.