PESHAWAR, July 4: The Pakistan People’s Party has demanded of the government to withdraw the condition of graduation and allow the seasoned politicians to take part in the upcoming elections.

Speaking at a news conference at a local hotel on Thursday, PPP provincial chief Khwaja Mohammad Khan Hoti observed that the graduation condition would bar seasoned and able parliamentarians from entering the parliament.

In this garb, the government wanted to bring a ‘burger class’ into assemblies, who would be expert in rock‘n’roll, but lack the political experience, he added.

He said the former British prime minister, John Major, was not a graduate, but held a senior Cambridge certificate and incumbent US President George W. Bush was also not graduate and held higher Cambridge certificate, but, neither the UK nor US military men pointed finger on them.

Mr Hoti said the late Bacha Khan was not a graduate, but he was a central leader of the All India National Congress.

A large number of statesmen who played a great role in changing destiny of their nations were far away from the criterion set by the generals, he added.

He urged the mangers of the National Re-construction Bureau to do some constructive work and leave the re-construction of the socio-political, cultural, spiritual and economic thoughts and systems for the political and social scientists.

Commenting on the constitutional package, he said it was a war between the ‘will of a person’ and ‘will of the people’, and the latter were expressing their will through denouncing the NRB-made packages.

The NRB proposed amendments into the constitution would change the basic spirit of the sacred document, unanimously adopted by the then Parliament in 1973, he added.

He said the nation was bestowed with this constitution after a period of long 17 years.

The constituent assembly had adopted a constitution in 1956, but it proved short-lived and dictator Ayub Khan imposed the martial law, he added.

If present constitution lost it validity, he said, it would be difficult for political forces to agree upon another document. He also rejected the political parties (amended) order and termed it a final blow to the democratic forces.

Mr Hoti said that all political forces except the cloned- politicians were opposed to the government’s anti-democratic agenda. “We are in touch with various oppositions forces for an adjustment in the upcoming elections”, he added.

He said Pakistan TV had turned down their request for the coverage of the Friday meeting.

The general manger, PTV Peshawar, had told them that the government considered Sherpao group and the mainstream PPP as party, he added.