LAHORE, Oct 12: Terming Oct 12 a black day in history, PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif has urged all political democratic forces to launch a decisive struggle against the army rule.

In his message, read out to reporters by Zaeem Husain Qadri here on Tuesday, to all democratic forces and people at large in connection with the Oct 12, 1999, army takeover, Mr Sharif urged all political parties to work for getting rid of the 17th Amendment.

He said military rule was harmful both to democracy as well as to army. He recalled that the country was dismembered during one such regime in 1971. Mr Sharif alleged that the presidential system was being implemented in the country after destroying the parliamentary structure outlined in the 1973 Constitution.

He said no other country in the world had army chief as president or prime minister but in Pakistan one person was holding offices of army chief and president simultaneously.

Mr Sharif assured the nation that the days of the dictatorship were numbered and time was not far off when 150 million people would succeed in making Pakistan a true Islamic republic.

He said Gen Musharraf's five-year rule gave the nation nothing but hunger, suicides, terrorist attacks, and unemployment while on the other hand, the Constitution was circumvented, election process was rigged and a King's Party was established after harassing and victimizing political opponents.

Replying to a query, Mr Qadri said the PML-N along with the ARD, the MMA and other democratic forces would launch a mass-contact drive in Ramazan by holding Iftar parties and seminars and after Eid rallies and processions would be organized in the decisive round of the movement.