PESHAWAR, May 13: The participation of “hundreds of thousands of people” in the Istehkam-i-Pakistan rally reflects their “unshakable trust” in the leadership and growth-oriented policies of President Gen Pervez Musharraf, according to federal Minister for Political Affairs and provincial president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Amir Muqam.

He claimed that the participation of people in “such large numbers” in the rally organised by the ruling PML in Islamabad clearly demonstrated that nation was with President Musharraf.

Amir Muqam termed the president’s speech balanced and comprehensive and said the general had again urged lawyers to reject people who were trying to “politicise a purely judicial matter”.

“The rally shows that real political power rests with the people who will once again repose their full confidence in the policies of the government in upcoming general elections,” Mr Muqam remarked.

The minister claimed that more than 100,000 party workers from the Peshawar valley had participated in the rally, adding that the rally would have far-reaching consequences for the development in the North West Frontier Province.

He claimed that the PML’s rally was actually a referendum in favour of the government’s policies and rejection of the opposition’s negative propaganda.—APP