PESHAWAR, Sept 21: Former speaker Fakhr Imam and his wife, former federal minister Syeda Abida Hussain, have launched efforts to unite political parties to force President Gen Pervez Musharraf to relinquish the post of chief of the army staff.

Talking to journalists after a meeting with ANP leader Ghulam Ahmad Bilour here on Monday, the former speaker said that the one-man rule had changed the democratic system of the country beyond recognition, adding that the changing of three prime ministers in just two years and the parliament's inability to discuss the situation in South Waziristan and Balochistan were regrettable.

"What kind of democracy is this if elected representatives cannot discuss the country's future," he said. Commenting on the uniform issue, he said Gen Musharraf's relinquishing of the post of COAS was vital for democracy and federal system, adding that it was the only issue on which there could be a convergence of opinion among all political parties.

He said that the parliamentary system could only be strengthened by restoring the 1973 Constitution in its original form. He said that President Musharraf would be violating the Supreme Court verdict if he did not remove his military uniform wherein he had been asked to restore full democracy within three years.

The former speaker said he was working towards the creation of a platform that would not only pull the country out of the political crisis but also chalk out future strategy.

He said that he, along with Begum Abida Hussain, had met with PPP's chairperson Benazir Bhutto in London and would now meet with leaders of various political parties to work for the creation of a political platform.