KARACHI, May 2: Leaders of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy have called for holding free and fair elections under a neutral setup to steer out the country from prevailing crises.
The ARD rally was organised by the Pakistan People’s Party, Karachi division, at Lea Market roundabout in Lyari Town on Wednesday to express solidarity with the ongoing struggle of lawyers for supremacy of judiciary and restoration of true democracy.
The rally was largely attended by the workers of the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz who converged at the roundabout from different parts of the locality.
Addressing the participants of the rally, the leaders said General Musharraf should resign immediately and handover power to the interim setup to pave the way for impartial polls in the country.
They said the writ of government did not exist anywhere in the country. They said the polls would be meaningless without the participation of Benazir Bhutto and Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif.
Prominent among those who addressed the rally included PPP deputy secretary-general and leader of the opposition in the senate Mian Raza Rabbani, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Nafees Siddiqui, Prof N.D. Khan, Rafiq Engineer, PML-N senior leader and former provincial governor Mamnoon Hussain, acting provincial chief Salim Zia, Sardar Abdul Rahim and PDP central president Ghulam Sabir.
Senator Raza Rabbani described the rule of General Musharraf as a threat to the federation saying that the military ruler had created serious judicial crisis by suspending the chief justice.
He said media was targeted and notices were served on private channels in a bid to keep the masses away from the ongoing struggle for the supremacy of judiciary. He said prices of essential commodities had gone beyond the reach of common man. He argued that the present crisis could only be solved if the General quit his office and handover power to an interim setup for free and impartial polls.
PML-Nawaz leader Mamnoon Husain expressed the hope that the present struggle would reach its logical end as the people of Pakistan would soon get rid of the dictatorial regime of General Musharraf. He said time was not far away when Benazir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif would return to the country and would lead the masses.
Sindh PPP chief Syed Qaim Ali Shah lauded the struggle of the lawyers and the political parties for their support against dictatorship. He demanded free and fair elections in the country.
Prof N.D. Khan demanded that presidential reference against the chief justice should be withdrawn. He also called for holding free and fair elections in the country.
Nafees Siddiqui demanded reinstatement of the chief justice and said the PPP would in no way accept General Musharraf as the president.
PML-Nawaz acting provincial chief Salim Zia said people had rejected the regime and they would not accept General Musharraf’s rule in any form. He condemned the police brutalities in Punjab and the NWFP, saying that a number of ARD workers had been put behind bars to sabotage the ongoing struggle.
Sardar Abdul Rahim said the present struggle would continue till the removal of the dictatorial regime.
The rally was also addressed by PDP leader Ghulam Sabir and PML-Qayyum chief Amanullah Khan. They criticised the policies of Musharraf regime and called for holding free and fair elections in the country.
Earlier addressing a huge rally in Landhi organised by the People’s Labour Bureau on Tuesday evening, PPP leaders pledged to continue their struggle for the rights of working class. They slated the anti-labour policies of the government saying that due to privatisation thousands of workers have been retrenched and a ban has been imposed on trade unions so that they could not raise voice against injustices.Raza Rabbani, Qaim Ali Shah, Nisar Khuhro, Taj Haider, Rashid Rabbani, Rafique Engineer, Dr Fahmida Mirza, Sher Mohammad Baloch, Waqar Mehdi, Rehmatullah Sarki, Shamshad Qureshi, Aslam Samo, Khwaja Mohammad Awan and others spoke on the occasion.
They particularly condemned the privatization of Pakistan Steel, the KESC, the PTCL and lauded the bold decision of the Supreme Court in the case of the Pakistan Steel which had annoyed the rulers. They demanded that elections should be free and fair under an independent election commission.