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QUETTA, April 19: PML-N Central Vice-President Tehmina Daultana said on Monday that the fight between democratic forces and military rulers over the rights of the people was continuing and the former would not rest until the latter was forced out of politics and parliament's sovereignty is restored.
Addressing members of the Balochistan High Court Bar Association (BHCBA) in the Bar room she declared that democratic rule and the military domination could not co-exist and democratic forces would use parliament and street power to dislodge the Musharraf government.
Ms Daultana, while bitterly criticizing President Musharraf, said that the military ruler who had been retired by former premier Nawaz Sharif, was running parliament like a rubber stamp but unfortunately Mir Zafarullah Jamali and his coalition allies were endorsing the President's every act.
"It is a big tragedy that elected prime minister of the country goes to his Chief of the Army Staff to get directives and this act of Mr Jamali proves that the real power rests with President Musharraf who dictates policies to the Jamali government," she claimed.
The PML-N leader announced that his party would never accept the involvement of army generals in politics and for this purpose democratic forces would have to chose one path - either join the military party or support the democratic movement - to marginalize the army's role in politics.
"We are not against the military but we want an army that performs its actual duty - to defend national frontiers against country's enemies. Bitterly criticizing MMA's role, she claimed its leaders had shown opportunistic approach to maintain friendly relations with the Musharraf government.
She said that Qazi Hussain Ahmed on the floor of the house had promised to resign from the assembly seat if the LFO was made part of the Constitution and later, the MMA leader not only deviated from his commitment but the MMA voted for the passage of the 17th Amendment that legalized the LFO.
Ms Daultana alleged that the MMA was sailing in two boats - taking benefits from the government on the one hand and trying to get the slot of the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly on the other to maintain what she called its friendly relations with the Musharraf government.
Earlier, Senator Amanullah Kanrani advocate, President of the BHCBA, in his speech paid tribute to Ms Daultana for playing what he called a heroic role in opposing the army takeover.
HRCP: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Balochistan chapter, has condemned firing on the residence of journalist Tariq Masood in Turbat and demanded arrest of the culprits.
In a statement here on Monday, HRCP official Zahoor Ahmed Shahwani stated that honest journalists were being harassed for pinpointing people's problems, saying that the government should take steps for the protection of newsmen. He said Mr Tariq was a representative of a newspaper and attack on his house was a condemnable act.
ASEAN: The ambassadors of seven Asean countries arrived here on a three-day visit to Balochistan on Monday. Soon after their arrival, they called on Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani and exchanged views on various issues, including the development of Balochistan.
The governor apprised them of the steps taken by the federal government for its speedy development. He said the province was famous for its best fruit production, including apples, grapes and dates that were exported. "Balochistan has also great potential for investment in various sectors, including seafood, handicrafts, agriculture, livestock and minerals," he said.
He urged the foreign ambassadors to pay frequent visits to the province to personally observe development activities. "There is no security problem," he assured them. The delegation included ambassadors of Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Myanmar.
