BARISAL: Former Air Force chief, Air Marshal M. Asghar Khan, told a huge gathering here today [Dec 17] that the leaders of the opposition parties would meet in Dacca some time in January next to decide whether or not to participate in the coming election.

Addressing the gathering at the Ayub Khan Town Hall here this afternoon, he gave a detailed account of economic and political conditions as obtaining in the country presently … He again gave a resume of how freedom of expression and speech had been gagged, Press “muzzled” and the powerful media like radio and television utilised to serve the Government’s own ends.

The Air Marshal threw a challenge to the party in power, asking the Ministers to come out of their drawing rooms and face the people. He said that the party in power would only then realise what was the situation in the country. He said that the people of both East and West Pakistan had already given their clear verdict to the effect that they no longer wanted the present regime. He said people of both the wings were now determined to replace the present corrupt regime by a democratic one in accordance with their own will.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2018