PESHAWAR, Nov 23: Activists and leaders of the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) and members of the legal fraternity on Friday sought the immediate implementation of the Supreme Court verdict it gave on Nov 3 against the imposition of emergency rule in the country and the oath-taking of judges under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO). They also demanded an end to the secret agencies’ role in politics.

A public meeting was held here in front of the Peshawar High Court building, which was attended by lawyers and members of various political parties, who discussed options regarding the general elections.

Prominent among those who participated in the meeting were APDM’s convener Mian Iftikhar Hussain, leaders of the Awami National Party Afrasiab Khattak, Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Bashir Ahmed Bilour, National Party Pakistan’s Idrees Kamal and Gul Rehman, Pakistan Muslim League-N’s Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Haji Afzal, Haji Arshad Qureshi, Arbab Alamgir and Jehanzeb Khattak, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s Arbab Mujib-ur-Rehman, Pakistan Tehrik Insaf’s Shah Farman, Jamaat-i-Islami’s Hamidullah Jan and Sirajuddin Qureshi and Peshawar High Court Bar Association’s Abdul Latif Afridi.

Speakers said they had three options before them: boycott of polls; launch of a movement against the government, and; taking part in the elections from the platform of the APDM.

Some of the leaders said time was ripe for a drastic step against the military ruler in order to rid the nation of dictatorship forever. The people of Punjab should be taken into confidence so that a unified movement could be launched against the dictator across the country.

They said the military had been ruling over the country one way or another for the last 60 years, but the people were not going to accept generals as rulers anymore. They said no good could be expected from the rulers and fair, impartial and transparent elections were impossible in the presence of Gen Musharraf at the helm of affairs.

The PHCBA president expressed grave concerns over the suspension of the Constitution, adding that the country was passing through a grave constitutional and political crisis and the entire responsibility rested with military rulers.

Meanwhile, the legal fraternity observed a ‘black day’ and did not appear in courts as a mark of protest against the state of emergency.

CHITRAL: Jamaat-i-Islami workers held a protest demonstration at the Atalique Masjid Chowk in Chitral and chanted slogans against President Musharraf and demanded his resignation. Maulana Ghulam Mohammad asked Pervez Musharraf to step down immediately.