KARACHI, June 22: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) has announced that it will launch a mass contact and mobilization campaign from July 5 by organizing public meetings throughout the country.
The first meeting of the series will be held on July 5 in Quetta and the last meeting will be organized in Karachi on July 26. “If obstructions are created in our way, our reaction will be no different from what we have been doing always,” ARD chief Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan said.
The decision was announced by the Nawabzada at a press conference at the Bilawal House on Saturday soon after a meeting which was attended by the leaders of the alliance component parties.
Makhdoom Amin Faheem and Nisar Ahmad Khuhro of the PPP, Mian Ejaz Shafi and Tehmina Daulatana of PML (N), Khan Amanullah Khan of PML (Qayum) Khuda-i-Noor of Jamhoori Watan Party, Mufti Ferozuddin of JUI, Sanaullah Zehri of Baloch National Movement and others were present on the occasion.
Nasrullah Khan reiterated the ARD demands of lifting ban on political activities, restoration of 1973 Constitution in its original form, formation of a caretaker government of national consensus to hold elections, removal of the chief election commissioner to conduct free and fair elections by an independent election commission as in the light of experience of local government elections and the referendum, he said, the people would not accept results of the elections if held under the present election commission.
Responding questions, the veteran politician said that no talks would be held with the government except on the ARD agenda.
He said the ARD would not accept any political role for the proposed National Security Council, which, he maintained, would not be aimed at blocking future martial laws in the country but to give it a political role.
To another question he said the government had extended invitations to him (Nawabzada), Amin Faheem, Raj Zafarul Haq and Nawab Akbar Bugti. In the meantime, he added, Raja Zafarul Haq was arrested along with 300 party activists for taking out a rally to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir, while Nawab Bugti’s house was besieged by rangers and the frontier constabulary personnel.