ISLAMABAD, Sept 10: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) has ruled out any possibility of cooperation with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) on the uniform issue till the religious alliance accepts the responsibility for the present situation and announces launching of a struggle against the 17th Amendment.
Briefing newsmen after an emergency meeting of the ARD here on Friday, Secretary-General Iqbal Zafar Jhagra said the ARD believed that the real issue was not Gen Musharraf's uniform but the whole 17th Amendment.
Mr Jhagra said the ARD considered the 17th Amendment "illegal" and wanted to remove it from the constitution. "Uniform is only the MMA's issue as the religious alliance had agreed to accept Gen Musharraf in uniform by December 31, 2004," he said.
On the other hand, Mr Jhagra said, the ARD's stand was very clear from the day one that it did not recognize Gen Musharraf as the legitimate president of the country from the day one.
However, he said, if the MMA leadership also announced launching of struggle against the whole 17th Amendment and accepted its mistake of supporting the government at that time, then the ARD could consider extending cooperation with them.
He also announced that the ARD had decided to launch a mass mobilisation campaign against the military government and in this connection, the ARD leaders would address organizations of lawyers throughout the country. He said the next meeting of the ARD would be held in Quetta on Sept 20.
Mr Jhagra said the ARD leaders reviewed the ongoing political situation in detail and passed several resolutions. Giving details, he said, the ARD condemned military operations in tribal areas and Balochistan. He said the death of over 80 members of the Mahsood tribe on Thursday was the result of the worst bombing over civilian population in Pakistan's history.
"The present rulers are using the might of Pakistani military to promote American interests and killing patriotic Pakistanis," he said while reading the resolution. The ARD, he said, also demanded constitution of an independent and impartial inquiry committee composed of high court judges to probe the bombing incident of Thursday, and to find out who had ordered the attack and what was the nationality of the killed people.
He said ARD leaders had expressed deep concern over the formation of the largest cabinet in Pakistan's history, and termed it a cruel joke with the helpless people, who were already suffering from high prices and unemployment.
The meeting demanded an end to the "farce of so-called genuine democracy, and calls for removal of all restrictions on the return of Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto to enable them to play their role as popular leaders in national politics."
The ARD meeting is of the view that the Musharraf government, instead of moving towards a settlement of the Kashmir issue according to UN resolutions, Shimla Accord and Lahore Declaration, continues to retreat from its position and national interests in accordance with the Indian agenda. This meeting strongly condemns the Kashmir policy of the present government and warns the nation of its dire consequences.
He said the ARD condemned the call by "political orphans, unpopular, so-called politicians and absconders of NAB on the illegal and unconstitutional dictator not to remove his uniform." In fact, he said, these "scared political orphans needed the military umbrella for their existence and perpetuation of nepotism and their fake rule."
The components of the ARD, the secretary-general said, had always deemed Gen Pervez Musharraf a "dictator, who trampled a representative popular government under his boots, and then captured presidency through an illegal and unconstitutional referendum."