Four more to join GNA

Published May 10, 2002

LAHORE, May 9: Four more parties will soon join the six-party Grand National Alliance and as many more to follow suit, claims Pakistan Awami Tehrik chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri.

Talking to newsmen here on Thursday, he said the PML would also be unified as a group of PML(N) leaders was ready to join hands with other factions of the League.

Denying that the alliance had been formed on someone’s instructions, he said the PAT had sacrificed for national interests and did not insist on claiming share in GNA offices according to its stature.

Holding politicians responsible more than the army for the ills in the governance system, he said “the politicians while in power do not say that they are not being allowed to exercise their authority. But they start complaining and levelling allegations when they sit on opposition benches.”

Referring to the rivalry among three ‘poles’ in the power politics — the president, the prime minister and the chief of army staff — he said there were two solutions to the problem, one was idealism and the other pragmatism.

A formula should be developed to end rivalry among them to save democracy from jolts, while the formula might be reviewed after five years according to the need of the hour, he suggested.

But he did not explain who would guarantee implementation of the formula by all the three ‘power brokers’ in letter and spirit.

Condemning the Karachi incident, Dr Qadri said it reflected that the government could not yet control the law and order situation and the intelligence agencies had failed to pre-empt the terror act.

Meanwhile, the GNA will hold its first workers’ convention in Abbottabad on May 19, in Rawalpindi on May 24, in Sukkur on May 31 and in Quetta on June 2.

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