HYDERABAD, Jan 21: The secretary general of the Jammat-i-Islami Syed Munawar Hassan has said that All Parties Democratic Movement would accelerate the pace of its polls boycott campaign.

Talking to journalists after addressing the party’s annual training programme at Al-Noor palace on Sunday, he said that PML-N leaders had held out an assurance that they would stick to their decision of boycott of elections even after the return of the Sharifs to Pakistan.

He said that PML-N leaders Raja Zafarul Haq, Chaudhry Nisar Ahmed and Javed Hashmi were on record having assured them that their boycott decision would be final even after return of Sharifs from Jeddah. Even, he said, Nawaz Sharif had reiterated his resolve to boycott the polls.

However, he added, Sharif succumbed to pressure of president of Turkey and foreign ambassadors. He claimed that Nawaz Sharif in fact could not sustain any pressure and that’s why he kept changing his decision. He stated that even their own statements were full of contradictions.

He asked Shahbaz Sharif to give-up the path of deal because whosever had tried to tread on it faced shame. He urged Sharif brothers to learn a lesson from their past. He categorically stated that boycott of elections on February 18 would be a success and people wouldn’t accept those results of elections that have already been prepared.

He accused President Gen Pervez Musharraf of abrogating constitution twice and ruled out fair and free elections in his presence. He alleged that President is promoting US agenda in the country and said that he must have threatened USA with its own permission.

He said that it was essential that judges, who had not taken oath under PCO, should be re-instated and pre-November-3 judiciary should be restored. He said that consensus interim national government should be formed whereas independent election commission should be constituted before holding of elections.

He said that APDM would announce its future strategy in its public meetings. He ridiculed government’s announcements that suicide bombers have entered certain areas and their sketches were also released but suicide bombers are not arrested. It is simply because of the fact that terrorists and suicide bombers were sitting in the government, he alleged.

He further said that government had failed to control price-hike and recent flour crisis is reflective of government’s failure on this front.

Earlier, speaking at the training session, Mr Hassan dwelt over supreme sacrifices laid down by Hazrat Imam Hussain and his small band of companions in Karbala. Naib Ameer of JI Sindh Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui, Hyderabad city Ameer Sheikh Shaukat and others also spoke on the occasion.

He said that the grandson of Holy Prophet (PBUH) knew that the goal he has set for him is fraught with dangers but he didn’t budge from his stand. He added that the lesson that one gets from Karbala is that people should not fall prey to exigencies when they decide something in principle.