ISLAMABAD, April 22: Former prime minister and Pakistan People’s Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto has criticized the arrest of veteran politician Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan.

In a statement, issued here on Monday, she said the persecution of political leaders, including the elderly, showed the inhuman face of a military dictatorship, which was trampling the constitutional and human rights of the people.

“The downtrodden and impoverished people of Pakistan, as well as intellectuals, youth, middle classes, working classes and small farmers should unite and boycott the referendum.”

Ms Bhutto said the people, once united, were a force too strong for a military dictator to exploit. She observed that as the army chief, Gen Musharraf was banned from taking part in politics under the law of the land, but he had refused to resign as the army chief even as he pursued his political ambitions.

The PPP chief feared that the impact of the mixing of the military and political posts in one personality could affect the professionalism of the armed forces.