SHIKARPUR, Jan 5: People’s Party Parliamentarians leader Aftab Shaban Mirani has demanded an impartial caretaker government with mutual consensus of the opposition parties to hold free and fair general elections under the supervision of an independent election commission.

Talking to reporters at Qazi House here on Friday, Mr Mirani denied that the PPP leadership was engaged in an exercise to strike a deal with the rulers to come into power through backdoor. “The PPP leadership believes in coming into power through people’s votes,” he said.

He predicted that the PPP would come into power after getting majority votes in forthcoming general elections and its leader Benazir Bhutto would become prime minister again.

He said that Ms Bhutto would come back to Pakistan soon after the election schedule was announced.

Mr Mirani rejected government claims about improvement in socio-economic condition of the people of the country and termed it an act of misguiding the people.

He said that the rulers had destroyed economy of the country and created unbearable problems including unemployment, lawlessness, corruption and irregularities.

He said that the government had harmed constitutional and democratic values instead of strengthening democratic process.

Opposing the construction of the Kalabagh dam, he said that no dam could be built without consensus among the four provinces which was impossible to evolve as Sindh was opposed to the controversial project.

BLACK DAY: A black day was observed by the activists of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan in Humayoon on Friday to protest against execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussain.