KOHAT, Feb 5: The former federal law minister and acting Secretary-General of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Syed Raza Rabbani, said here on Tuesday his party would boycott the polls in October if PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto was not allowed to come back.

He said the PPP’s central working committee would soon announce a date for the return of Ms Bhutto and warned the government of mass agitation in case she was arrested.

He said the PPP was against striking any deal with the government and asked President Gen Pervez Musharraf to quash concocted and false cases filed against the party leaders, including Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari.

He was addressing the party workers at a divisional convention of the PPP, participated by a large number of people from Karak, Hangu, Parachinar, Thall, Lachi, Shakardarra, Darra Adam Khel and others parts.

Those who spoke on the occasion, included PPP NWFP President Khawaja Mohammad Khan Hoti, party’s NWFP Secretary-General Najmuddin Khan, provincial Deputy Secretary-General Ayub Shah former NWFP minister Syed Qamar Abbas, former senator and member of PPP’s central executive committee Barrister Syed Masood Kausar, former state minister Malik Waris Khan Afridi, Fareed Khan, Mohammad Fazil, Karak PPP President Younis Qanoos, Karak Secretary-General Safdar Khattak, Kohat District President Nadir Khan Khattak, Saifullah Khan Khattak and others.

Mr Raza Rabbani said the PPP after coming to power would bring amendment for a joint electorate to fight sectarianism and ethnic violence in the country which had been shaking the very foundation of the country since the rule of Gen Zia-ul-Haq.

He recalled that the manifesto of the PPP was against fundamentalism and any kind of division among the people of Pakistan on the basis of religion, caste or creed. That is why the PPP had strongly protested over military’s involvement in the internal affairs of Afghanistan and Kashmir in 1998, and added it would have saved the lives of innocent people and the country’s sovereignty.

Mr Hoti, agreeing to a proposal presented by party workers and local leaders, said the district and divisional committees would be free in future to take independent decisions regarding the allotment of tickets to party workers and the provincial committees would only endorse them.

He said every effort would be made to address the grievances of the workers, provide them jobs, education and food, after coming to power.

It was the PPP’s strong support among the masses that the party had survived the conspiracies of three martial laws and the military rule. “All the efforts to wipe out PPP had failed.”

He accused Aftab Ahmed Sherpao of damaging the party position for personal interests and promoting horse-trading in the assembly just to become chief minister, and said they could run the party affairs in a perfect manner without the Legharis, Sherpaos and the likes.

Any group, at any level, calling itself the PPP was a non-entity without the Bhuttos, he asserted, adding Aftab Sherpao was cashing the death of his elder brother Hayat Shaheed.

Qamar Abbas said Sherpao had sent a message to him to come and join his group but he flatly refused to do so because Sherpao was “a corrupt man and had no regard for party discipline.”

The convention passed four resolutions demanding free and impartial polls on the basis of joint electorate, halt to the harassment of PPP leaders by the government, permission to Benazir Bhutto to return and take part in the forthcoming elections and immediate release of Asif Ali Zardari, while expressing grave concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the country.