ISLAMABAD, Dec 30: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has asked the leadership of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League to shun their differences and prepare the party for the general elections in order to “effectively defeat the obscurant, extremist and radical elements”.

Speaking as chief guest at a function held in the Prime Minister’s House on Saturday to celebrate the completion of 100 years of the founding of the Muslim League, the president said: “We have to take on the obscurant and extremist elements as we can not allow radicalisation of the society”.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, party secretary-general Mushahid Hussain Sayed and a good number of league’s old guards, including Sharifuddin Pirzada, Sahibzada Yaqoob Ali Khan, Minister of Information Muhammad Ali Durrani, and others were present at a well attended function.

The president expressed optimism that the issues of Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek will be resolved as a result of an ongoing composite dialogue with India provided the other side also shows a spirit of accommodation.

He hoped that the improved relations between India and Pakistan will improve further in times to come warning that this whole process could become artificial if not consolidated through the conflict resolution.

To achieve a decisive victory in the coming elections, the president asked the PML leadership to let their petty differences and compromise and reconcile for achieving the greater cause which was to put the country on path of progressive, enlightened moderation which was vision of Quaid-i-Azam as well as the thinking of Allama Iqbal.

He said: “I know there are many differences in the PML but need to resolve conflicts was more desired and everyone has to rise above himself by giving up his ego by accommodating others”.

He asked league leaders to do good and do more to generate more political activity by reaching out every voter in order to prepare them stand up and join hands with the progressive forces who want to take the country out of reach of the obscurant elements who were also strong opponents of Quaid-i-Azam along with the British government and the All-Indian Congress Committee.

He said: “We have provided enough ammunition in terms of economic development, political stability and taking Pakistan out of isolation and it was duty of politicians to cash on these achievements”.

Gen Musharraf said: “It was duty of the leadership to change the course if they see the common people selecting wrong path”.

He said the government had achieved a lot during last six years in power both on internal and external fronts and to preserve and protect these achievements.

“We all have to work hard otherwise everything will remain artificial,” he said.

Gen Musharraf, quoting from speeches of Quaid-i-Azam, said: “What the founder of the nation envisioned for Pakistan 60 or more years back still haunts the country as he stressed on technical and scientific education, economic uplift, growth of commerce and trade which we are lacking but vigorously pursuing now to put the country on track of development”.

He said the third element of Quaid’s vision was defence preparedness as he said to maintain peace, defence preparedness was a must. To achieve this purpose, the president mentioned a number of steps, including promotion of defence exhibitions. He said that peace can not be achieved through weakness but it stems from the preparedness.

He said the government, following in the footsteps of the Quaid had adopted difficult path of empowerment of women, reverting to joint electorate to give equal rights to minorities and enacted the women protection law to end discriminatory treatment with women.

The obscurants do not understand that women had any role in country’s progress which was un-Islamic thinking. He said girls students were doing far better then their male colleagues in the education field and feared that the government will have to fix quota for male members if the female folk continues their advances.

Achievements: Referring to achievements of the government after 1999, the president boasted that Pakistan which was on the brink of being declared bankrupt has been put back on the road to self-reliance by breaking the begging bowl and has become able to decline help from the IMF.

He said dozens of mega projects were under construction as against not a single during 11 years (1988-1999) of political governments clearly puts achievements of this government far ahead of any government in the past.

He also referred the media openness which resulted in coming out some 50 television channels and restoration of parliament’s sovereignty where a vibrant and noisy opposition was playing its role.

Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Pakistan was founded in the name of Islam and the Muslim League was striving to make Pakistan a true Islamic state where all laws were framed in accordance with the Holy Quran and Sunnah.

He assured the nation that the present combination will continue its march to put the country on the road to development where every poor and downtrodden will be provide equal rights and privileges.

PML chief Chaudhry Shujaat stressed on the people to adopt the virtue of truth which was hall mark of Quaid-i-Azam’s personage. He said the Quaid had established himself as sole representative of Muslims of the sub-continent through his qualities of self-belief, truth and discipline.

Mushahid Hussain told the audience that the Pakistan Post Office had released a series of 8 postage stamps in commemoration of the centenary of the Muslim League which reflect the party’s struggle right from 1937 when the Quaid joined the party and which culminated in 1947 with the emergence of Pakistan.