NOWSHERA, April 9: Former interior minister and PPP central leader Maj-Gen (retd) Naseerullah Babar has stressed the need for ending the role of armed forces in politics so that genuine and real democracy could flourish in the country. Speaking at a news conference at the residence of Mian Muzaffar Shah, senior vice-president of PPP (Sherpao), on Sunday, Gen Babar claimed that the United States wanted to get rid of Gen Pervez Musharraf and his sycophants, who had become redundant for Washington. He said that Gen Musharraf would have to hold general elections without delay.

Mr Shah, a former state minister, has decided to rejoin the mainstream PPP.

Gen Babar, who visited Muzaffar Shah’s residence to welcome him back to the PPP fold, said that military generals should be made accountable on charges of abrogating the constitutions, imposing martial laws and curbing political activities. He said it was the only way to stop adventurisms by staging military coups.

He said the present PPP organisation, including provincial and district bodies, would be dissolved and replaced with organising committees, which would hold party elections across the country.

He said the PPP would be organised at the grassroots level.

Mr Babar said Gen Musharraf was encircled by people, who had deposits of ill-gotten money in accounts in London, Scandinavian states and Korea.

He said all these thieves were involved in the sugar crisis, because most of them were the owners of sugar mills.