LAHORE, May 21: The PPP leaders on Wednesday vowed to continue struggle for the supremacy of parliament and democracy without succumbing to the pressure tactics allegedly being applied by the armed forces to divide the party.
The People’s Lawyers Forum (PLF) held a ceremony in the honour of PPP secretary general Jehangir Badr at the Lahore High Court after his release on bail in two NAB references.
The speakers paid rich tributes to Mr Badr for his political struggle and blasted the political agenda of the previous military regime of Gen Musharraf.
Mr Badr said on the occasion the army generals should stop experimenting with the country’s affairs and advised them to let the democratic values flourish in the country. Instead of indulging in mud-slinging, politicians should develop a collective and productive thinking to find answers to the economic, social, political and judicial problems being faced by the nation.
“The PPP’s struggle against suppression would go on and its leadership would leave no stone unturned to provide relief to the common man,” Mr Badr pledged.
He claimed that democracy was not something concerning the establishment. Rather it was a public phenomenon which was beyond the control of army generals.
He said in the era of globalization, democracy was also taking roots all around the world. The highly developed countries attained this status only after inculcating the culture of democracy in their state institutions.
He feared that Pakistan would face more trouble with regard to its social and economic development if its politicians did not take into account the geo-political situation in the region.
Mr Badr claimed that the PPP was the only political party in the country which followed the principle of “right man for the right job” besides providing an equal opportunity of social mobility to every party worker.
He said during his interrogation by the NAB authorities, he went to the UK with government’s permission in August, 2001. “Just two day before my departure for Pakistan, I was advised by the then military regime to extend my stay for an indefinite period and was threatened with arrest and trial on corruption charges in case I returned,” Mr Badr claimed.
He said he made the tough decision of returning home and facing frivolous cases against him. He thanked his party workers who stood by him during his trial.
PROF EJAZ: PPP leader Prof Ejazul Hasan alleged that right from the beginning, the army had been harassing the PPP workers and its leadership besides conspiring against the party. He claimed that for this reason, Ms Benazir Bhutto was forced into exile and those partymen with questionable reputation inducted in the cabinet to convey a false notion that the party was divided into factions.
“The government is in absolute isolation and is living dangerously under the foreign pressure as is evident from the refusal of Commonwealth to restore Pakistan’s membership,” Prof Ejaz claimed.
He said the LFO was more of a political problem than a legal one and was the brainchild of the military regime, adding that army had the legacy of posing serious problems to the country whenever it came into power.
“The PPP has a political agenda of providing employment to all and it should not deviate from this agenda,” Prof Ejaz suggested while pointing out that currently the party was suffering from class division and the PPP leadership should take corrective measures to counter it.
QASIM ZIA: Punjab PPP president Qasim Zia assured that his party would not compromise on its principles and would always strive for the sovereignty of law and parliament.
He said the party would always hold Mr Badr in high esteem for having kept the traditions of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto alive and setting an example for the party workers.
Former law minister S. M. Masood said it was high time for the party leadership to roll their sleeves up and to focus on its main agenda of providing relief to the common man.
Justice Malik Saeed Hasan (retired), Ehsan Wyne, Chaudhry Manzoor, Aslam Gordaspuri and PLF members also spoke on the occasion.