KARACHI, Sept 22: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf chief, Imran Khan, reiterated his demands for independent judiciary and election commission, as he said democracy could not function without independent judiciary and fair and free elections could not be conceived without independent election commission.

Imran Khan, who was here on a short visit, was addressing a crowded press conference at Karachi Press Club on Wednesday. He termed the prevailing situation in the country an outcome of Gen Musharraf's rule, who had made the country hostage to his own interests.

The PTI chief said that his party would start mass contact drive from Sept 26 by launching protest campaigns from Islamabad against the uniform. He said that there was no democracy in the country and added that the assemblies had been reduced to dummy institutions.

The issues of uniform, Wana situation and victimization of political opponents were not allowed to deliberate in the parliament, he added. He said that the country had neither presidential nor a parliamentary form of the government, as the real power rested with one man in the uniform.

Mr Khan said that the nation had been paying for the army just to get protection from external aggression, but, on the contrary the rulers were using the army to open fire on their own fellow citizens.

He said, "Even the parliamentary delegation was not allowed to visit Wana area. This situation is fraught with grave consequences for the federation, he added. He said that military action against the countrymen should never been an option as it often led to destruction of the federation.

"The country can only be steered out from the present situation by holding fresh elections by an independent election commission," he said. Demanding autonomy to the provinces, he said that the misunderstandings prevailing among the provinces were the outcome of the absence of Council of Common Interest. He said that only an undiluted democracy could keep the country united.

Terming the role of Punjab and Sindh assemblies shameful, he said that adoption of the resolution demanding General Musharraf not to doff the uniform was violation of the Constitution.