PESHAWAR, May 11: A former speaker of the NWFP assembly, Abdul Akbar Khan, has called upon the government to initiate a dialogue with genuine political forces, instead of putting together the anti-people forces for the longevity of the present crisis-emanating power arrangements.

Speaking at a news conference here at the Peshawar Press Club on Thursday, Mr Khan, who is also a member of the PPP central executive committee, said Pakistan was rapidly heading towards a constitutional crisis as there would be no saviour of the present set-up following the October general elections.

“The Supreme Court, in its verdict, had made Gen Pervez Musharraf bound to hold the general elections by October 2002, otherwise his all actions will go illegal under the provisional constitutional order (PCO), which is a stop-gap arrangement to save the country from polarization and give the military a safe passage to return to their barracks “, he added.

He said in the Zafar Ali Shah case, the Supreme Court had given a conditional and a specified time period, under the PCO, to Gen Musharraf for holding of general elections by October 2002. If Gen Musharraf failed to follow the Supreme Court verdict, the PCO would die down and country would plunge into a deep constitutional crisis, he added.

He said in its verdict on the combined petitions against the referendum, the Supreme Court had validated holding of referendum under the PCO and not under the Article 48 of the Constitution, secondly the court had clearly left the ‘flow of referendum to proper forum and proper timing, thirdly the Supreme Court had not rejected the petitions, but disposed them of as premature’.

Mr Khan said: “The life of referendum is attached with the life of PCO and not with the life of Constitution. The day the PCO is dead, the referendum is also dead on the same day. The members of the new national and provincial assemblies will take oath under the Constitution and the PCO”.

He said under the PCO, Gen Musharraf was declared president till Oct 12, 2002, so his becoming president had been validated till Oct 12. “Then who will requisite session of the National Assembly?” he inquired.

He said the reforms agenda too was attached with the life of the PCO and Gen Musharraf had no power to bring any amendments into the Constitution. “The Supreme Court can define the constitution, but it cannot bring any amendment into it. An amendment right, which the Supreme Court does not have, how it can delegate that right to a person”, he added.

He asked Gen Musharraf to hold negotiations with national-level political parties and explore a safe passage of his return, otherwise the country would face a devastating constitution crisis and an unending social unrest.