ISLAMABAD, Nov 8: Pakistan People’s Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto on Thursday upped the ante on the issue of sacked judges by saying that she wanted the pre-emergency judiciary to decide all important cases, including the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance and Gen Musharraf’s eligibility for contesting the presidential poll.

“I don’t want to get involved in it. I only want that the arrested judiciary should decide the cases,” Ms Bhutto said when asked if she would accept the decision expected to be made by judges who had taken the oath under the Provisional Constitution Order on important cases like the president’s eligibility and the NRO.

Talking to reporters after presiding over a joint meeting of the PPP’s Central Executive Committee and the Federal Council at the farm-house of her political secretary Naheed Khan, Ms Bhutto expressed her determination to go ahead with her planned public meeting in Rawalpindi on Friday and a long march from Lahore to Islamabad on November 13.

Reiterating her demand for the reinstatement of judges, she said: “When we talk about revival of Constitution, we talk about restoration of (sacked) judges.”

When her comments were sought on Gen Musharraf’s announcement that elections would be held by February 15, she said the president was facing a serious credibility crisis because he had not fulfilled the many earlier commitments he had made to the nation. “Same Gen Musharraf had announced that he would shed his army uniform by Dec 31, 2004,” she said, adding that she would not make any more comment on it.

For the first time since her return to the country last month, Ms Bhutto came up with direct criticism on the army, saying that presently the army was ‘leaderless’. She said it was unjustified to send the ‘leaderless’ troops to the troubled spots for fighting. “How can we expect that our army will fight when its chief becomes president?”

She said the country was being pushed towards a civil war and Pakistan today was facing the 1971-like situation. The PPP chief said that troops could not go to the tribal areas where extremists were capturing cities after cities.

She regretted that arms and ammunition, meant for the country’s defence, was being used against peaceful citizens. She said that extremists had already captured many cities in the NWFP and the government stood idle. “Should we wait for them (extremists) to reach Attock and Islamabad before taking any action?” she asked.

She said that Gen Musharraf’s staying as army chief was demoralising the army, adversely affecting its professionalism; and consequently the unity of Pakistan and the armed forces was under threat.

Ms Bhutto said if Gen Musharraf did not announce the election schedule by Friday, she would hold the protest march from Lahore to Islamabad on Nov 13. She appealed to the people to join the march to save the country. “It will be a march for democracy. When there will be a people’s march, there will be no boots march,” she added.

She also invited other political parties, including the religious parties, to join the march.

She said that people could even participate with their party flags. However, she appealed to the people to carry white flags with them.

Ms Bhutto condemned the arrests of judges, lawyers, political workers and rights activists, including women. She said there were reports that massive arrests of PPP workers were being made in various cities, including Lahore, Gujranwala and Sialkot.

She criticised economic policies of the government and alleged that the regime was receiving $80 million daily aid which was not being spent on welfare of the people.