PESHAWAR, May 21: Pakistan Millat Party chief Sardar Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari on Tuesday urged the All Parties Conference (APC) to extend their full support to the government against the bullying stance of India and deployment of its forces on Pakistan borders.

Speaking at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club, he expressed his hope that leaders like Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Fazlur Rehman and Samiul Haq would help the government to unite the nation against Indian aggressive stance.

He rejected the idea of an interim government before the next elections. “After five months, we will be in election process and it will not be wise to form a care-taker government for a short time”, he added.

He said the nation needed a national consensus and a united stand against the Indian designs. He warned the Indian leadership not to undermine Pakistani nation and stay away from committing a a blunder.

“Pakistan will never accept India as a super power. We will not cow down before Indian threats. We will respond with same force to any Indian aggression,” he added.

The former president said even a small mistake on the part any of the two nuclear powers would darken the future of entire Asia. He urged the Indian leadership to initiate dialogue, demonstrate statesmanship and solve issues reasonably.

He said the war would bring calamities for both the people of the subcontinent  and stall their socio-economic development. It was high time for both the countries to defuse tension and initiate dialogue on controversial issues, he added.

Mr Leghari requested to the US administration and the European Union nations to come forward and play their role in defusing the escalating tension between India and Pakistan.

He said Pakistan was playing a front-line state’s role in the US-led war against terrorism, but it was also faced with the bullying of India, which could result in a devastating war between India and Pakistan.

The Millat Party chief said India wanted to dub Pakistan as a terrorist state by misleading the world community on the freedom struggle of people in Indian held Kashmir. The UN, the US, the EU and all nations were fully aware about the Kashmir issue, he added.

Mr Leghari asked UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to visit Pakistan and witness the atrocities perpetrated on civilian people by Indian forces along Pakistan-India border.

He opposed the return of PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto and PML chief Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan and termed them as “dacoits” who according to him looted the national exchequer.

To a question, Mr Leghari said in 1965 and in 1971, India was in a better political and diplomatic position and its leadership exploited the situation in its favour. At that time Gen Ayub and Gen Yahya were in power and they failed to amass international support against India, he added.

In the past, he said, the US lost its confidence among people as it failed to satisfy its friends like Pakistan, but in the new era the US leadership pinned great hopes in Pakistan.

He said: “We must rely in our people. We put our firm trust in the help of God and not any other power.” He said the newly formed National Alliance would hold district level conventions to mobilise the workers.