ISLAMABAD, Aug 29: Speakers at a function on Sunday called for mobilizing people and organizing political parties for launching a decisive struggle against military dictatorship in the country.

Speaking at a programme titled "Remembering democratic resistance against Zia dictatorship", a large number of political leaders, parliamentarians, political activists, intellectuals, journalists and women rights activists, who were victimized during Gen Zia's rule, said the country was still being ruled by military establishment and there was no democracy.

The programme was organized by the Democratic Action, Research and Education, a project of the Pattan Development Organization, to pay tributes to those who struggled against Gen Zia's dictatorship and suffered torture.

The speakers called for observing "Anti-Dictatorship Day" every year on August 17 to remember those thousands of people who were tortured, imprisoned and killed during the 11-year military rule of Gen Zia.

Former Awami National Party (ANP) senator Haji Adeel said, today, there was a military dictatorship in the country and even the local government system was being run by the General Headquarters (GHQ).

He alleged that cantonments were being established in Balochistan so that army generals could purchase land on a minimal price and then sell it at an exorbitant rate.

"Is it not dictatorship that one prime minister was removed, another was appointed for 45 days and the third one was nominated even before his election to the National Assembly," Haji Adeel said.

Another senior politician Jam Saqi said very few people knew that an agreement had been signed between former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the opposition parties to end military operation in Balochistan, but Gen Zia refused to withdraw forces from the province.

Mr Saqi said power had never been transferred to the people in Pakistan. He said there was military rule even during the Quaid-i-Azam's time as every body knew that how the military establishment stopped some extracts of the Quaid's August 11 speech from getting published in the press.

He said there was a hope after the 1956 constitution that there would be democracy after the elections in 1958, but Ayub Khan had been assigned the task to stop the elections.

Narrating his own ordeal during Gen Zia's rule, Mr Saqi said his wife committed suicide when she read the news of his death in the army custody. He said he was not produced before the court by the military authorities despite the court's order, giving rise to the suspicion that he had been killed in the custody of army.

Veteran politician Meraj Mohammad Khan said all the military rulers from Ayub Khan to Gen Musharraf had served imperialistic forces. He regretted that Rs200 billion had been allocated for the defence purposes while only Rs6 billion had been earmarked for health sector in the budget.