LAHORE, Dec 1: The Pakistan People’s Party is still a force to be reckoned with and can become a bonding factor among “people-friendly” politicians and thinkers.

This was a consensus emerged among participants in a PPP foundation day function held at the lawn of the residence of Dr Mubashir Hasan where the party was founded 34 years ago. The event was sponsored by a splinter group of the party called Shaheed Bhutto. Led by Ghinwa Bhutto, the group was at pains to prove that it (Shaheed Bhutto group) was not the sole sponsor of the function.

A resolution that was adopted after a day-long function called for all progressive forces to join hands and free people from the forces of exploitation. “All those believing in the 1973 Constitution demand the formation of a civilian government that can strengthen parliament, set judiciary free and give maximum provincial autonomy,” it said. Such government must solve economic problems of the people by ensuring free housing and cheap education, health care and justice, it added. If the Bhutto government could survive without the aid of the IMF or the World Bank, why not the present government, it said.

The meeting condemned what it called the genocide of Afghans at the hands of US forces and demanded compensation for all affetees of the war.

The resolution also demanded the continuation of the Indo-Pak dialogue in the light of Lahore and Agra summits. Both governments must cooperate with each other to keep dialogue going. The Kashmir issue, it said, must be solved according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people. The resolution opposed both individual and state terrorism being perpetrated in the Valley.

The resolution said that Pakistan and democracy were synonymous to each other. There was no justification for the military government in the country. The army was supposed to strengthen the civilian government not vice versa. The army should hold elections and hand over the government to winners. Electoral laws be changed for the joint electorate.