HARIPUR June 2: Army interventions jeopardised national integrity and dictators were responsible for the dismemberment of the country, according to secretary-general of PML-N Iqbal Zafar Jhagra.

He was speaking at a party convention here at the Chaman Park on Thursday.

He said rulers had failed to protect people’s life, honour and property and innocent people were being targeted in the Waziristan Agency and Balochistan only ‘to appease’ the US.

“We need to give a final blow to the military dictatorship and liberate the country from their clutches,” he added.

Choudhry Jafar Iqbal, deputy general secretary PML-N predicted that General Musharraf would be overthrown before the general elections and asked the workers to organise the party at all tiers and be prepared for general elections.

Pir Sabir Shah criticised the government for making friends with India, compromising on the decades-old issues of Siachen and Kashmir and reducing troops on the Indian borders. He urged the nation to support the PML-N against undemocratic forces for restoration of true democracy.

Ahsan Iqbal, central information secretary of the PML-N, said that economic policies of the rulers had widened socio-economic gaps and facilitated wealthy class to become wealthier.

Contesting the government’s claim about socio-economic uplift he said that the country had regressed on every front; people were using contaminated water, facing price hike and committing suicides due to economic hardships. He said 8,845 people committed suicides during last six years which indicated their hardships due to ill-planning of the government.

The Charter of Democracy, he said, was meant to block intervention of dictators in the affairs of the state, adding that it was against those who trampled the constitution and dismissed elected governments.

He said the destination of rule of democracy was not far away. He said soon people would see unprecedented development, particularly in health, education and employment sectors, and provincial autonomy would be ensured by cancelling the concurrent list of the constitution.

Senator Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan claimed that General Musharraf would not be able to get himself re-elected, rather he would be out of power within five months.

MNA Mehmona Hashmi said that right from General Ayub Khan down to General Musharraf, military rulers had caused irreparable loss to the country and were responsible of poverty and underdevelopment.

“Generals should no longer be held sacred cows. We have to face them and hold them accountable for their misdeeds,” she said, adding that they deviated from their constitutional duties and indulged in loot and plunder.

She vowed to continue struggle until General Musharraf was punished under article 6 of the constitution.