KARACHI, Jan 9: Pakistan Muslim League-N Secretary General Zafar Iqbal Jhagra on Tuesday said there was a total anarchy in the country and a situation similar to 1971 was being created in Balochistan, Bajaur and Waziristan.

Mr Jhagra, who arrived here on Monday night, was addressing a press conference in a hotel. Flanked by his party leaders from Sindh Sardar Rahim and Saleem Zia, he said “We feel it our national duty to bring all political, democratic forces and civil society on a single platform to chalk out a consensus strategy to take out the country from the hovering crisis.”

He said the purpose of proposed All-Parties Conference in London by Nawaz Sharif was to formulate a joint strategy on matters related to revival of the Constitution, democracy, supremacy of Parliament, transparent elections under the supervision of a consensus caretaker government by an independent election commission and establishment of an independent judiciary.

Mr Jhagra pointed out that Nawaz Sharif had made it clear that the struggle of PML-N was not aimed at acquiring power but to restore the Constitution and democratic system, supremacy of law. He said the PML-N would extend full cooperation to any party that would come to power in fair and transparent elections to ensure stability to the democratic system in the country.

He said neither the date nor any invitation was issued to any leader for the proposed conference. In the letters sent to leaders of different parties, he said, only the issues were mentioned on which there was consensus among all democratic forces so that a joint strategy could be framed and the way of those forces who always had derailed the democratic system should be blocked for good.

When his attention was drawn towards Benazir Bhutto’s remarks that the government was in contact through back channels not only with the PPP but also with the PML-N, he said there was no right to make a claim on behalf of any other party. However, it was on record that the government had in the past made attempts through use of journalist channels to contact the party leadership after October 12, 1999 but Nawaz Sharif had outrightly rejected the politics of striking deals saying that no talks could be held with a dictator.

Zafar Iqbal Jhagra said the country was in dire need of bold and courageous leader who could accept the challenge from the West and the US squarely. In the past Nawaz Sharif had proved his metal when the US and western countries had exerted pressure to stop Pakistan from conducting a nuclear test. He made it clear that it was the sole prerogative of people of Pakistan and their Parliament, the secretary general added.

He recalled the U-turn taken by incumbent rulers on Afghanistan, Kashmir and the nuclear programme and the treatment meted out to our national hero Dr Qadeer Khan.

Mr Jhagra, who is also secretary general of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy, said their alliance of six parties was based on a one-point programme of restoration of democracy while on other matters they were free to pursue their objectives. Therefore, he said, if the PPP was saying it would participate in the elections under the supervision of General Pervez Musharraf, it did not imply that there was any split in the ARD. However, a joint decision in this regard would be made by all democratic parties with consensus in the London conference.