HYDERABAD, May 30: The former provincial president of Pakistan People’s Party, Makhdoom Khaliquzzaman, has said after his meeting with the PPP chairperson, he has decided to return to active politics.

He was talking to newsmen at the “meet the press programme” of the Hyderabad Press Club on Friday.

The scion of the Makhdoom family of Hala, who had remained inactive for 12 years, said that during his recent visit to Dubai, Benazir Bhutto had shown magnanimity towards him and expressed confidence in him as he had never left the party despite being tempted by other parties.

He condemned the violence against the opposition leaders of the Punjab Assembly and journalists and termed the action of the Punjab government undemocratic and dictatorial.

He said the PPP would never ever accept the LFO as a part of the Constitution as it was authored by one man and was a supra-constitutional document.

Mr Khaliquzzaman, who is the younger brother of the PP Parliamentarians’ chairman, Makhdoom Amin Faheem, said that the fact was that no individual or party who believed in democracy would ever accept the LFO. Similarly, he said that no democrat would accept Gen Pervez Musharraf as the president because there was no provision in the Constitution for the election of the president through referendum.

He said even otherwise only five to 20 per cent people had cast their votes in the so-called referendum.

He said Gen Pervez Musharraf would have to give up one post, as the presidentship and uniform can not go together.

Answering a question about the devolution of power under the new local government system, Mr Khaliquzzaman said it was not devolution but usurpation and concentration of power in one person.

He said it was a robbery on provincial autonomy.

He said rumours were being floated that the assemblies might be suspended. He said there was no such provision in the Constitution of Pakistan.

On being asked as to why the candidates contested the elections if the LFO was supra-constitutional, Mr Khaliquzzaman said that the candidates took a calculated risk just for the restoration of democracy.

He said the politicians played on Gen Musharraf’s wicket but they have won, and added that even if the assemblies were suspended or dissolved, the loser would be none other than President Gen Pervez Musharraf.