ISLAMABAD, June 19: The All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) on Thursday called for reversing all unconstitutional acts taken during Pervez Musharraf’s dictatorship, particularly those of Nov 3, 2007.

In a statement issued at the end of a two-day conference, the APDM rejected the PPP’s proposed constitutional package as “an attempt to validate Musharraf’s unconstitutional acts of that day and to make the judiciary subservient to their (rulers’) authority”.

The statement said that the mandate given by people in the Feb 18 election was a rejection of the courts created under the emergency rule and called for a change. The government is “slavishly pursuing the establishment’s agenda in all matters of government”.

The APDM leaders regretted that the new government back-pedalled from the Bhurban Declaration and joined hands with Musharraf instead.

The statement said that army operation in Balochistan continued killing innocent people and compelling them, especially the residents of Kohlu and Bugti, to leave their homes.

No investigations were conducted into the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti, Balach Marri and other people so far.

There is an elected government but Balochistan is under siege, the statement said, adding that the claims of providing roti, kapra and makan stood exposed by the measures announced in the new budget which protects the interests of the wealthy and lays additional burden on the poor.

The budget has been prepared on the dictations from the World Bank and the forces of international capitalism. It takes away whatever food, clothing and shelter people already have.

It was in these circumstances that the legal fraternity was compelled to undertake a massive movement culminating in long march, according to the statement.

The national conference demanded that Pervez Musharraf must step down immediately; the judiciary must be restored to the pre-Nov 3, 2007 status and all unconstitutional acts of the period of Musharraf’s dictatorship must be overturned.

The conference also called for immediate end to all military and paramilitary operations in Balochistan; institution of judicial inquiry into the killings of Baloch nationalist leaders and other innocent people and recover the missing persons.

The conference demanded a judicial inquiry into the killing of innocent people in Karachi, particularly the incidents of Nishtar Park, May 12, 2007 and April 9, 2008 and punishment to all those responsible for these inhuman acts; cease military operations against innocent people in the tribal areas and other parts of the country.

It demanded full provincial autonomy to all the federating units with control over all their respective economic resources; reduction in sales tax; restoration of all subsidies available to all sections of the society; reduce the prices of essential items; repeal the Industrial Relations Ordinance 2002 enactment of labour laws on the basis of ILO Charter; withdraw all restrictions and curbs on the media.

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