LAHORE, Feb 5: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy on Thursday announced 'a remove-Musharraf and save-country movement' but delayed giving a date for launching the drive until March 7 when a public meeting would be held in Sahiwal.

The alliance also decided to organize 'protest camps' across the country against official policies during Feb 13-20. These decisions were taken at an ARD meeting held at senior PML-N vice-president Tehmina Daultana's residence.

Briefing reporters later, ARD president Makhdoom Amin Fahim said the government had not only failed on all other fronts but it had also put the country's security at stake by making nuclear scientists controversial.

He demanded an open discussion on the nuclear programme in a joint session of parliament in presence of scientists so that they could 'speak in a free atmosphere'.

Criticizing the MMA, he described the strike call given by the religious parties' alliance for Friday as an official call. The MMA, Mr Fahim said, had dissociated itself from the opposition by supporting the government on the LFO and now the "real opposition" could not join the MMA's programmes.

He said if the ARD or any of its components ever came to power it would quash all "black laws", including the 17th amendment.

He rejected recommendation of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan's issue to the federal cabinet, saying the cabinet was not an institution over and above the parliament.

The ARD chief termed the government's Kashmir policy controversial and said they had reservations about the way the issue was being handled. He demanded that the Kashmiris be included in the process for taking a decisive step on the issue.

He asked the government to consult former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif on the nuclear programme and the Kashmir issue.

Answering a question, he said Dr Khan had, in a meeting with MMA leader Qazi Hussain Ahmad, made it clear that he had given no confessional statement. Then, he claimed, he was taken to meet Gen Pervez Musharraf where his confessional statement was recorded and he was made to sign various other documents.

Mr Fahim demanded that names of army officers responsible for supervising the nuclear programme and installations should also be made public.

The ARD meeting, through various resolutions, condemned humiliation of Dr Khan and other scientists and alleged that the army ruler was acting upon the US agenda.

It expressed solidarity with Kashmiris and vowed to continue political and moral support to the struggle for their right to self-determination.

The meeting condemned the army operation in tribal areas and pledged to mobilize people against it. It demanded release of ARD president Javed Hashmi and PPP leader Asif Zardari.