PESHAWAR, May 15: The Pakistan Muslim League on Sunday came under scathing criticism for allegedly throwing its weight behind military regimes in the past. The charge was levelled by several speakers during a PML women’s convention on “Crises within PML and the prevailing challenges in the country” at the Peshawar Press Club. The speakers called upon the party leadership to work to strengthen democratic institutions, instead of pursuing personal interests.

No one except the PML is collectively responsible for all the problems being faced by the country, they said, adding that the party welcomed military dictators in the past and was doing that even now. Almost all PML factions, they said, had gained power through the back door.

PPP leader Mohammad Khursheed, who is a lawyer, was particularly trenchant in his observations, calling PML “one party that extended its support to military dictators” and clung to power through the past 57 years in one way or the other. Pakistan is confronted with numerous challenges such as unemployment, lawlessness and price rises, he said. But unfortunately the rulers don’t have any plan to solve these problems.

Widening the target of his criticism to include the MMA-led government, he claimed that it had failed to fulfil the promises it had made during the election campaign. The ruling party doesn’t have the capability to overcome the challenges because it is itself mired in crises, according to the PPP leader. This is because opportunists have hijacked the party and are using it to further their own interests. Now, he said, only a revolution could solve people’s problems and the country should be ready for such an eventuality.

The PML central media coordinator Moazam Butt acknowledged that his party had always come to power through the back door, and its leadership had struck deals with different rulers. “Today the country needs another Mohammad Ali Jinnah to put the country on the track of progress and development,” he said.

Local columnist Dr Salahuddin in his speech said that the PML leadership was responsible for propping up dictators. “It is the Muslim League that has remained in power from day one but it has failed to deliver,” he claimed, charging that the party did not have roots in the masses. According to him, the ruling PML has been hijacked by feudals and that is why party workers were reluctant to go with them.

Religious scholar and columnist Dr Mohammad Farooq Khan pointed out that Leaguers, being the founder of the country, never came to power through democratic means. Solution of all the prevailing problems, he said was that the government should provide justice, jobs, education, and health facilities. Besides, it should also follow the rule of merit and give all the fundamental rights to the people and make drastic changes in the judicial system, which would directly and indirectly help people.

Dr Mohammad Farooq said that women were not getting their due rights in government affairs or anywhere else. Around 300 women were killed in the name of honour. He said that revolution was not the solution of all these problems instead, the country should follow the philosophy of non-violence.

The PML-Q MPA Dr Semin Mehmud Jan, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said that corruption was deeply rooted in society. First of all, she said, we must eradicate corruption from top to bottom. People, whether they are politicians or anyone else, should be made accountable to the public, adding that despite the lapse of 57 years, education and health facilities have yet to be provided to the people. She said that the coming generation must be equipped with quality education. She also claimed that all past rulers had deceived their electorates. A large number of women workers of the ruling party participated in the convention. Besides, a senior leaguer Jalaluddin, Dilshad Tipo, Ummi Farhat also spoke on the occasion.