LAHORE, Sept 22: Federal Minister and veteran politician Mahmud Ali has said that Pakistan’s future lies in democracy without which no progress can be made in any field.

He was addressing the concluding session of the two-day centenary celebration of the Muslim League observed by the Nazaria-i-Pakistan Foundation and the Pakistan Movement Workers Trust at their auditorium.

Mr Ali recalled that the British had asked the Quaid-i-Azam that Pakistan was his personal demand which was not supported by the people. The Quaid had declared that it was not his personal issue and challenged them to seek verdict of the Indian Muslims. The elections were held early in 1946 in which an overwhelming majority of the Muslims voted for Pakistan and the British rulers and the Hindu Congress had to accept their verdict.

He said unfortunately democracy could not be continued in Pakistan for most of the time as military, at the behest of America, had been disrupting the democratic process. Ayub Khan declared martial law in 1958 and abrogated the constitution.

He said an interim government should be set up headed by chief justice of Pakistan to hold general election. All political parties should be allowed to participate in the elections. Thus democracy could be restored, he added.

Former PML secretary general Sartaj Aziz urged all factions of the Muslim League to unite on the basis of ideology of Pakistan and democracy.

He said he believed that all factions of Muslim League had complete faith in Pakistan’s ideology and he saw no reason why they could not merge into a single party.

He said the military dictators had been exploiting Muslim League to perpetuate their rule at the cost of democracy. The present time was of democracy and only that faction of Muslim League could win the confidence of the people which championed the cause of democracy and opposed the military dictatorship. The Muslim League had won the Pakistan movement and it alone could save the federation from foreign attack, he added.

Mr Aziz said the eastern wing separated in the absence of democracy. Had there been one strong political party in all the five provinces and democracy, the debacle of East Pakistan would never have occurred, he continued.