LAHORE, Dec 16: Speakers at a seminar here on Monday likened the prevailing political situation to the one which had led to the dismemberment of the country in 1971, and said the military rulers should learn a lesson from the past and not repeat the mistakes which could cause recurrence of the tragedy.

Punjab PML-N president Zulfiqar Khosa said it was regrettable that 1971-like inter-provincial disharmony was growing in intensity and no step was being taken to contain it. Instead, he said, party system was being thrown to winds and ‘biradari’ system being promoted by the ruling party.

Provincial secretary-general Khwaja Saad Rafiq said while the Gen Yahya rule had led to the dismemberment of the country, the Musharraf rule posed a serious threat to the nuclear programme.

He defended his party’s cooperation with the PPP, saying though the two parties had different ideologies, the PPP believed in a strong federation.

He criticized the rulers for denting the PPP by carving out a new group of dissidents out of it.

As for the PML-Q, Mr Rafiq said it was a bunch of opportunists serving as lackeys of the military rulers. He predicted that the military dictatorship would target the Chaudhris of Gujrat in the near future.

To resist dictatorship, he said opposition parties would join hands in the National Assembly and a combined opposition would come into being.

Ahle Hadith leader Prof Sajid Mir said mistakes committed during the Yahya rule were being repeated by the present rulers.

He said the generals had left politicians far behind in corruption.

It was deplorable, Prof Mir said, that the generals were not satisfied with the results of the elections held according to rules set by them. Horse trading was going on to strengthen the king’s party.

Supreme Court Bar president Hamid Khan said Gen Yahya had tried to impose his own constitution like Gen Musharraf was trying to thrust the one authored by him.