KARACHI, Sept 17: The chief of Pakistan People's Party, Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, accused Gen Musharraf of deliberately creating confusion by raising the settled issues with a view to undermine the basic character of the Constitution and the republic.

Talking to newsmen at his residence on Friday, Mr Shah said that after changing the basic character of the Constitution through the Legal Framework Order, Gen Musharraf was insulting the people of Pakistan by raising the bogey of uniform.

Reiterating the PPP's stand on uniform and constitutional amendments brought about through the LFO, with the help of the MMA, Mr Shah referred to constitutional provisions spelling out criteria for holding the office of the president. A serving Chief of Staff could not hold that office, he maintained.

He said that the resolution passed in Punjab Assembly asking Gen Musharraf not to give up his uniform was deplorable as it tantamount to insult of the people. He was of the view that the general's lust for power was pushing the country towards disaster.

Qaim Ali Shah termed the government policy on water as violation of the Constitution and 1991 Water Accord. He said that the Council of Common Interest had at that time decided if there was excess water, provinces could store it, but, it did not permit construction of dams.

He said that the government was talking about construction of Kalabagh dam just to please a particular section of the country's population. He also criticized the chief minister's announcement of Rs26 billion package for Thar just a few days prior to another by- elections and said it was yet another example of manipulation of elections.

Contesting the government claims of economic progress, the PPP leader said that poverty was above 40 per cent and the effect of foreign exchange reserves had not trickled down to the common man.

Taj Haider, Rashid Rabbani, N.D. Khan, Rafiq Engineer, Lal Bakhsh Bhutto, Shah Mohammad Shah, Waqar Mehdi, Lateef Mughal, Khalil Qureshi, Raheel Iqbal and Fareed Ansari were also present on the occasion.