April 2005

April 2005


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Police Brutality on PPP Female Workers Asif Zardari rejects tailored democracy in Pakistan By Attaul Mohsin Syed - Pakistan Times Staff Correspondent ISLAMABAD: A free and fair parliamentary election is the panacea of all political evils now rampant in the country, says Asif Ali Zardari, the central leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party [PPP]. The spouse of the PPP Chairperson Ms Benazir Bhutto was addressing a crowded press conference here on Wednesday on his maiden visit to the federal capital after his release from some 8 years of imprisonment and sojourn to Europe and Middle East. The top party leadership including the Senior Vice President and ARD Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Jahangir Badr, Raja Pervez Ashraf and others flanked him. Zardari stressed that the elections under an independent Election Commission has to be held within this year. If our demand is not accepted, the struggle shall go on, he declared. Asif Ali Zardari who looked confident and a bit matured rejected ‘tailored democracy’ saying no dilution in the process shall be acceptable to us. He set aside rumours about any sort of rapprochement between the government and PPP. Political Differences On the contrary, he repeated the party policy of across the board dialogue for resolving political differences. He said had grabbing power been our objective, we had many opportunities in the past, which were not availed of. He said that if at all some talks had taken place with those in power, it does not mean that we want to enter into the government through back door. To a question about the on going talks between PPP and those who matter, he said we had never worked with the ‘establishment’. Had that happened, we would have been in power. He categorically said that neither PPP had any contacts with the government nor we had accepted it as a political reality. When asked whether the party was planning to launch its protest campaign against the government soon from Gujrat, he said instead, we had decided to launch our move from the shrine of Hazrat Baba Bulhe Shah in Kasur. Subject: CPJ-RSF BLAST PAKISTANI POLICE CRIMES AGAINST THE PRESS PRESS NETWORK (FPN). NEW YORK, NY, USA, 19 April 2005 (InformationTimes.com) - The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1981 to defend press freedom worldwide, condemns a series of illegal police attacks and acts of obstruction aimed at journalists covering the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) activities on Friday and Saturday, April 15-16, 2005. CPJ today called on Pakistan authorities to punish all those police officers and government officials responsible for the unlawful human rights abuses. About 50 journalists traveling with Asif Ali Zardari -- PPP Opposition leader and husband of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto -- on his flight from Dubai, UAE, to Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday morning, April 16, 2005, were surrounded by Punjab/Lahore Police as they exited the airplane and forced to surrender their camera equipment, audio recorders and mobile phones, according to local journalists. Those journalists who resisted were slapped, beaten, tortured and abused by the police. Mazhar Tufail of Geo TV was beaten and held in police custody for two hours, the news website South Asia Tribune reported. The journalists staged a sit-in at the Lahore Airport for several hours to protest the abuses and the confiscation of their gear. When police finally returned the journalists' equipment, all of their recordings had been erased and memory cards had been removed, according to local press accounts. An airport security chief told a reporter from The Guardian of London that police were acting on official orders. Police warned other journalists that they were given instructions from "the top" to take the equipment, the South Asia Tribune reported. In the run-up to Asif Zardari's arrival, thousands of police took to the streets of Lahore to block rallies by PPP members and supporters. Communication towers were also shut down, disrupting cell phone service, CNN reported. On Friday, April 15, 2005, police in Karachi attacked PPP activists trying to board a train to Lahore, wounding several activists and journalists who were covering the day's events. The Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) reported that three journalists were taken to the hospital for treatment: Malik Munawar of the daily "Asas" Karachi, Tasadduk Ghouri of "Janbaz" Karachi and Yaseen Jabalpuri of APNA TV. A spokesman for the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) said that police also detained several journalists and grabbed cameras from photographers at the train station. Journalists' groups condemned the rash of attacks and reporters covering Pakistan's Parliament, the National Assembly, boycotted the session yesterday in protest. "These blatant obstructions of the free flow of information inside Pakistan make a mockery of official claims of press freedom," CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper said. "Journalists must be allowed to cover the news safely and freely without fear of abuse and confiscation of their equipment." Despite talk of reconciliation between Pakistan's self-appointed 'President' General Pervez Musharraf and leaders of opposition political parties, his unconstitutional and illegal Military Government remains adamant about stamping out political protests in Lahore. A similarly aggressive police response occurred in May 2004, when exiled politician Shahbaz Sharif, former Punjab Chief Minister and a top leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-NS), tried to fly home to Lahore after three years of exile in Saudi Arabia. Reporters traveling with him were illegally detained by police in the airport and also had their equipment forcibly confiscated. RSF: POLICE USE VIOLENCE AGAINST JOURNALISTS IN KARACHI AND LAHORE, PAKISTAN PARIS, France, 20 April 2005 (InformationTimes.com) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) today firmly condemned police violence on 15 and 16 April 2005 in Karachi and Lahore, Pakistan, against journalists covering a visit to Pakistan by PPP Opposition leader Asif Ali Zardari of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), or activities related to the visit. "There was no justification for this use of violence against journalists doing their work or for the destruction of their equipment," the press freedom organization said in a letter to Pakistani federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao. "This was a serious press freedom violation," the RSF organization added, calling on the authorities to prosecute all the police officers involved and to compensate the journalists for the loss of their equipment. Reporters and photographers who went to Karachi railway station on 15 April 2005 to cover the departure of some 200 political activists for Lahore for Asif Zardari's arrival the next day found themselves being attacked with clubs by police and their cameras taken. Three journalists -- Malik Munawar of the daily "Asas" Karachi, Tasadduk Ghouri of the "Janbaz" Karachi daily newspaper and Yaseen Jabalpuri of APNA TV -- were badly injured and taken to hospital. Members of the Punjab province police commanded by two officers identified as Ahmed Mobeen and Aftab Cheema dealt in a similar fashion with some 50 Pakistani and international journalists who accompanied Asif Zardari on his flight from Dubai, UAE. The violence began as soon as Asif Zardari left the airplane, when around 200 policemen charged the journalists. Police officer Ahmed Mobeen himself struck the first blow against Mazhar Tufail, a journalist with the Pakistani television station GEO TV, before handing Tufail over to his men. The journalists were detained at the Lahore Airport for more than three hours. Journalists boycotted the National Assembly's sessions yesterday and today in protest and called on parliamentarians to pass a resolution condemning the Punjab province government of Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi for this use of violence by its police force against journalists. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) defends imprisoned journalists and press freedom throughout the world, as well as the right to inform the public and to be informed, in accordance with Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Reporters Without Borders has nine national sections (in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom), representatives in Abidjan, Bangkok, Istanbul, Montreal, Moscow, New York, Tokyo and Washington DC, and more than a hundred correspondents worldwide. PPP CONDEMNS POLICE BRUTALITY AGAINST PAKISTANI MEDI ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, 16 April 2005 (InformationTimes.com) - The Information Secretary of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Taj Haider, has strongly condemned the illegal, brutal action of the Punjab Police at the Lahore Airport against respected members of the media who were traveling with former PPP Senator Asif Ali Zardari in the flight carrying him from Dubai, UAE, to cover his arrival in Lahore, Pakistan. In a press statement, Taj Haider said today that physical assaults, snatching away of cameras and mobile phones, destroying exposed films, doing body searches and emptying of pockets of journalists, including senior editors, were unlawful, shameful acts which not only violated the Pakistan Constitution and the laws but also revolted against norms of decency and gentlemanly conduct. Our image as a Pakistani Nation, which already is very low due to long military dictatorship, has taken a further plunge downwards as a result of these brutal, illegal acts. Taj Haider warned that the excuse of the offenders that all this was being done on "instructions from above" was not good enough. The days of those "above" are fast coming to an end. Their crimes against the Pakistani Nation shall not go unpunished. But every person belonging to any law-enforcing agency should regard himself as a custodian of law and must not carry out any illegal orders of those who are temporarily and unconstitutionally "above the law". They should not forget that they are serving the Pakistani Nation as public servants and not as servants of some individuals who had illegally usurped official authority in violation of the Constitution of Pakistan. PPP salutes the media for carrying out their duties with courage, devotion and high levels of integrity against the heaviest odds. While the hollow claims of the Musharraf-Aziz-Elahi-Rahim regimes about a "democratic" setup and free press stood fully exposed, the media has provided a brilliant example today for Pakistanis in every walk of life to establish the highest standards of performance of duties towards their nation and their profession. It is the general consciousness created by brave examples like the one set up by the national media today, which is our guarantee to march onwards as one Pakistani nation towards a free, democratic and progressive Pakistan. High Inflation Inddication Of Weak Economy. BB ISLAMABAD, April 27(Online): Former Prime Minister and Chairperson Pakistan Peoples Party Benazir Bhutto said that the sky high inflation in Pakistan could no longer be hidden despite Islamabad being a key ally of the international community for its support during the War Against Terrorism. Benazir Bhutto in a statement issued here on Wednesday said that the economic performance since the overthrow of the PPP government had been dismal. Despite massive international support, the economy failed to provide jobs to the people or curb expenditure. She said that the youth and middle classes were suffering under crippling price hike which was making living a misery as people were unable to make ends meet. She noted that finally the world community was alerted to the reality of the financial suffering of the people despite the loans being rescheduled. In this connection, Benazir Bhutto welcomed the report of the International Monetary Fund for giving a warning about inflation in Pakistan. Former Prime Minister said that it was painful to observe that one third of Pakistan's population lives in poverty whereas another one third lives on less than two dollars a day. International Monetary Fund has noted that inflation is now the highest it has been since 1997 shortly after the overthrow of the PPP government which had curbed price hike through deficit management. In addition to the IMF, the Asian Development Fund has also cautioned Islamabad about the inflation rate. In fact PPP was the first Political Party to point out the inaccurate figures being given by the interim government established by the military regime after it seized power in October 1999. Meanwhile, despite having the loans rescheduled and generous grants made by the international community, she was sorry to learn that the regime was still going about with a begging bowl asking for more money. Benazir said that had the PPP been in power, it would have worked for debt relief as well as used the money freed from debt reschedulement to make Pakistan a self-reliant country. She deplored the fact that a golden opportunity to make the country truly self reliant and the people prosperous due to the external international environment had been squandered. Although tall promises were made in each Budget, none of the promises were kept. However, few looked beyond the promises to the actual delivery. The result, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto said, is that price hike is making Pak goods non competitive in the international market adversely affecting jobs and opportunities. The PPP has disputed the claims of the present regime that the growth rate will touch seven percent this year. It noted that none of the claims made by the regime had ever been met when the year end figures had been collected. Bhutto said that the country need more than public relations packaging of the hunger and misery. The packaging was made pretty to hide the ugly reality of growing poverty, growing hunger and hopelessness amongst the vast majority of the people of whom sixty percent lived on or below the poverty line. One third of this sixty percent was the result of the financial policies of the last five years. Benazir Bhutto pointed out that last Friday interest rates were raised after the Asian Development Bank in its Pakistan Economic Update (July 2004 - March 2005) cautioned, "the rising inflation can undermine the stability of exchange rate, distort incentives structure and eventually stall growth". It may be recalled that the PPP government had the best economic and social indicators of any government since 1977 PPPP WON'T JOIN MMA FORMING GOVT: ZARDAZI ISLAMABAD, April 27: Making it absolute clear that Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians will not join Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal in forming central government in the future, former senator Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday said if PPPP had a desire to sit on treasury bench then the party could have done so to save his soul while he was languishing in jail. Addressing a crowded press briefing in metropolis at his residence, he said PPPP will continue struggle against tyranny and there is no chance of setting clandestine deal with establishment. "We are struggling to show military the way back to barracks and not for getting share in the government" he noted. He said PPPP's fight is against injustices, we have only talked about negotiations, it doesn't mean we will sit at treasury bench with incumbent government. If we had desire of doing so we could have done this when the new laws were introduced two years ago but we have proved it upon the world that we will not join hands with a tyrant. He ruled out contacting government from any platform saying it is government, which is contacting PPP. He also dispelled the notion of setting deal with government individually saying if I had a desire of setting deal then I could have done it from PPPP platform I had no intention of becoming PPP chairman. PPP is a strong party with a set discipline continuing for the last 30 years. Responding to a query he said if Benazir Bhutto had been in Pakistan she could have been languishing in jails. We know our establishment very well and that is Benazir is in Dubai to control the party from there. Mr Zardari flanked by Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Jahangir Badar, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Farzana Raja, Sherry Rehman, Babar Awan and Fauzia Wahab thanked media for supporting him during his detention of eight hard years. He expressed hope that media will continue supporting him in fight against tyranny. He slammed the attitude adopted by government on April 16 when large numbers of PPPP activists were arrested and journalists were maltreated when they were at Lahore Airport to welcome him. "Many government officials made negative propaganda against me, they even claimed that if I will come back to Pakistan they will resign from their offices. I am waiting for them to follow their claims," he added. "But I showed it to entire world that we want enlightened democracy. The incumbent rulers do not want enlightened democracy, they want rule of an individual. We demand restoration of 1973 constitution and supremacy of parliament because it is our right," he maintained. Police and government functionaries, he said are enticing PPPP to take law and order into their hands and have given free hand to its friends to carry out terrorist activities in the country, which is wrong policy adopted by government. He also leveled allegation of pre poll rigging on incumbent government before local body elections. He said hundreds of PPPP activists have been detained on their arrival in Islamabad while the entry points from Attock to Kashmir and Sindh to Punjab were sealed. It was an attempt to create unrest in the country but we are committed to take the nation to the heights of economic prosperity no matter what sacrifice we have to give, he maintained. The incumbent government is in power for the last five years but the entire nation is crippling under the rising inflation, unemployment and deteriorating law and order situation, democratic parties are not allowed to hold public rallies. Looking at the picture, which is bleak we will make only one demand that can resolve Pakistan's woes and that is to hold fair, free and transparent elections in the country at the earliest, Mr Zardari Raja Parvaiz Ashraf’s rejoinder to Ch. Shujaat Islamabad, 26 April 2005: Secretary General Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians, Raja Parvaiz Ashraf MNA said that leader of the PML Q should stop his contradictory statements because people of the country could see through them. In a statement, he said that the PPP was a democratic Party and was struggling to restore democracy in the country. Its leaders and workers were in prison, exile and otherwise being subjected to inhuman treatments for seeking to revive the dream of Quaid e Azam and Quaid e Awam for a democratic, federal, tolerant and awami Pakistan. The PPP leader said that Mr. Shujaat could remember that it was a member of his own Party, the Minister of Information who had announced a policy of reconciliation with the Opposition forces. The PPP had simply responded in a positive manner as it did to proposals that were made without compromising on its core values. Mr. Shujaat's latest claim that the PPP wanted to share power was a figment of his own imagination. PPP had not asked to share power. In fact Mr. Shujaat may remember that he has publically stated, most recently on ARY television last week, that he wanted to share power with the PPP and wanted to make a national government. Mr. Shujaat went so far as to say that he personally went to the house of PPP President Parliamentary wing Makhdoom Amin Fahim and offered to form a national government in 2002. Thus it is clear that the PML Q was keen to co-opt the PPP on one hand and beat up its workers on the other hand for insisting on the democratisation of Pakistan. Raja Parvaiz Ashraf said that the political system that was produced by the October 2002 elections has miserably failed. Discontent in the provinces is brewing bringing renewed threats to the integrity of the Federation. Poverty has reached sixty percent. Human rights of political activists, minorities and women are systematically violated. Corruption and nepotism is stinking from the high heavens and not one case has been proceeded against all those who have been abusing power. PPP has filed several petitions whereas petition of Parliamentarian Imran Khan was also filed against Mr. Shujaat claiming he was ineligible to contest being a bank defaulter with written off loans. He said that while Madrassa leaders like Maulana Sami ul Haq and others were allowed to contest elections, the genuine leaders of the people were stopped unjustly and illegally through special laws. He further said that the PPP was not interested in taking power from the back door. Only PML Q had taken power from the back door and was usurping the rights of the people. The PPP leader said that the PPP was well aware that Mr Shujaat and other opportunists with him wanted to deny the constitutional rights to freedom of movement to the PPP. He said that if such rights were denied to the PPP, Mr. Shujaat would weaken himself even further by exposing the false claims of democracy and so called enlightened moderation. Raja Parvaiz Ashraf said that PPP was forcing the regime to make fundamental choices about Pakistan's future direction. Running with the hare and hunting with the hound by claiming to be a democracy while beating up political workers was unacceptable. Either the regime wanted enlightened moderation in which the rights of PPP workers would have to be accepted or the regime wanted to be classified as a tyranny with fascists beating up peaceful citizens in the streets of Lahore and Rawalpindi. Mr. Shujaat and his Party could not have it both ways. He said that PPP was least concerned about Mr. Shujaat's threats that the ‘free hand’ given to the PPP would no more be available to it. He said PPP did not want charity of the rulers and had not asked for it. The rulers themselves, realising they were getting a bad name, had decided to defuse internal tensions. Mr. Shujaat would simply add to those tensions by any fascist action. Raja Parvaiz Ashraf said it was a reality that a large number of PML Q members were ready to jump ship and join either the PML N or the PPP knowing that Mr. Shujaat had risen to power on the backs of a tacit understanding with MMA which was now falling apart. The PPP leader said that by celebrating Holi, the PML chief was pretending to show himself as a tolerant person. However, the wide spread coverage given to the thugs in the administration to brutally violate human rights had shown the PML Q as intolerant, immoderate and undemocratic as well brutish and uncivilised. Mr. Shujaat could hold ten more Holis but he could not wipe the shame from his hands of the inhuman violation of the daughters and sons of Pakistan that took place on the streets of Lahore on April 16. Those images would forever remain engraved in the minds of the people of the country. High alert as Zardari arrives in Islamabad today Pakistan Times Staff Report RAWALPINDI: High alert was declared at Islamabad International Airport ahead of Asif Ali Zardari’s arrival on Tuesday evening from Lahore, sources said. A source in Pakistan International Airlines disclosed that a seat for Asif Ali Zardari, spouse of Pakistan's ex-Prime Minister Ms Benazir Bhutto was reserved in PIA flight PK-388 that would arrive at Islamabad International Airport on Tuesday night at 21.10 PST [16:10 GMT]. The sources in the CAA told that high alert was declared at Islamabad International Airport and all the passes issued to the people for the day were cancelled and staff was put on alert to meet any unrest on the arrival of former senator Asif Ali Zardari from Lahore. Meanwhile, police was busy in conducting raids to arrest local leaders of PPP to avoid any untoward incident on the eve of Zardari’s arrival in the town. Raids The local police had so far managed to arrest former MPA and PPP leading leader Agha Riazul Islam and PYO city President Shahid under 16 MPO while raids were in progress for the arrest of rest of the people who were around 80 in number. The Home Department Punjab issued the arrest order of Agha Riazul Islam on April 14 and his arrest was materialized on April 25 while he was coming out from his residence at Saidpur Road. PPP leaders Nasir Mir, Sardar Nasir, Mohammad Afzal, Moqeem Ahmad Khan , Banarus Chaudhry, Saleem Mughal, Sheikh Adnan, Ch. Asad Pervaiz, Khawar Butt and many others were hiding. The sources disclosed that all the leaves of staff were cancelled and airport was placed on high alert to avoid any untoward incident on the arrival of former senator Asif Ali Zardari. Passes Cancelled The sources disclosed that all the temporary passes issued to people for the day were also cancelled and on the arrival of Asif Ali Zardari no one would be allowed to enter the airport premises to avoid any unpleasant incident. The sources in PIA told that the seat of former senator was booked on the PIA flight PK-388 due to arrive here from Lahore on Tuesday (today) at 9.10pm while his return ticket for Lahore from Rawalpindi was booked on the flight PK-385 on April-28 at 8.30am. However, it was not confirmed whether former senator Asif Ali Zardari would avail this schedule or not. The officials in district administration and police were tight lipped about their action plan on the arrival of former senator Asif Ali Zardari here. Agha Riazul Islam along with six other party colleagues was arrested on Monday and sent to jail under 3-MPO (Maintenance of Public Order), informed police sources. These arrests have been made after receiving a directive of Home Department, asking District Police to round up maximum number of PPP activists under 3-MPO, sources further disclosed. Agha Riaz-ul-Islam and another party activist Shahid Khan were arrested from Rabia Manzil at Liaqat Road while others were taken into custody from other places. More raids were in progress at different places in the city including PPP offices and houses of party activists and the number of arrest was likely to increase. Previously when Zardari came here he was not allowed to came out of the airport and was taken into protective custody and sent back to Karachi while the people who came to receive their leader were not only stopped to enter the airport but most of them were roughed up by police and law enforcement agencies at the airport. Resentment among PPP-P ranks high Meanwhile, another story says that the PPP-P is being presently run by an ‘oligarchy’ consisting of only half a dozen people instead of collective wisdom of its Central Executive Committee (CEC), which is being ignored while taking vital decisions; this is what majority of party’s CEC members believe. These senior party leaders also think that following Asif Zardari’s entry into the party and its politics, there has been much confusion about party policy vis- a-vis Musharraf regime, given his pro-establishment rhetoric. Party sources say, there is a lot of resentment within the party the way things are being tackled without being consulted with its CEC, which was even ignored when BB decided to assign leadership role to her spouse Asif Zardari and sent him to Pakistan. Party sources are of the view that many CEC members felt alienated when a six-member committee consisting of Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Ahmad Mukhtar, Jehangir Badr, Khalid Ahmad Khan Kharral, Khalid Javed Ghurki and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was constituted to deal with matters relating to arrival of Asif Ali Zardari. Though most of the committee members are also members of party’s CEC, no formal meeting of this body was convened to take all its 34 members into confidence about the whole issue, they said. A CEC member seeking anonymity told The Nation that before the appearance of Mr Zardari on the political horizon, it had been a consistent stance of the PPP-P that it was in contact with the government for revival of democracy, constitution of an independent Election Commission and holding of next general elections before 2007. 'But the way Mr. Zardari portrayed the things, it seemed as if there was some major policy shift with regard to party’s stance towards the establishment, which was a hard nut to crack for many staunch PPP-P leaders and workers',thr story adds. Yet, some senior PPP-P leaders met at Islamabad a few days back and decided to talk to party Chairperson Ms Benazir Bhutto about the whole state of affairs. Leader of the Opposition in Senate Raza Rabbani was assigned the responsibility to go to Dubai and get things cleared from Ms Benazir. Mr Rabbani had a meeting with Ms Benazir Bhutto at Dubai last Sunday and returned to Islamabad satisfied, as she assured him that there was absolutely no change in party policy towards the establishment and that Asif would be asked "to be careful" about it in future. Raza Rabbani Reax When contacted, Raza Rabbani said he did meet Ms Benazir Bhutto in Dubai, but it was a scheduled meeting and no issue concerning the pro-establishment posture of Mr Zardari was raised. He also denied there was any controversy within the party regarding its policy towards the establishment. "It had been PPP-P’s consistent stance that it was in contact with the present rulers for restoration of 1973 Constitution, formation of an independent Election Commission and holding of next general elections much before 2007", he said by adding, "this was the party position which would remain unchanged". 'PML-N satisfied with PPP's clarification' By Amir Wasim ISLAMABAD, April 25: Senior leaders of the People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Monday announced that there was no threat to the existence of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) as the parties had successfully removed misunderstandings between them. Talking to Dawn after a meeting of senior leaders of the two parties, ARD secretary-general Iqbal Zafar Jhagra said the PPP leaders had assured the PML-N leadership that they would not take any solo flight and talks with the government would be held only from the ARD platform. Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Raza Rabbani and Enver Baig attended the meeting from the PPP side while Raja Zafarul Haq, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Tehmina Daultana, Ishaq Dar and Syed Zafar Ali Shah represented the PML-N. Mr Jhagra, who is also the secretary-general of the PML-N, said that his party was now satisfied with the clarifications given by the PPP regarding the ongoing reconciliation process. He said the PPP leaders had informed them that at present no formal negotiations were being held with the government or the establishment. The ARD secretary-general said talks between the PPP and the PML-N were held in a very cordial atmosphere and leaders of both the parties vowed to implement the ARD charter as agreed in a recent meeting between PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in Jeddah. He said the leaders of the two parties agreed that extreme caution would be exercised from both sides before issuing any statement on policy matters. A source told Dawn that the PML-N leaders expressed serious concern over the statements of Asif Zardari in which he had said that the army was a reality and the PPP was ready to hold talks with it. The source said the PPP leaders told the PML-N leadership that Asif Zardari was husband of Ms Bhutto and had no office in the party and, therefore, his views could not be considered policy statements. Talking to reporters at the farm house residence of Makhdoom Amin Fahim soon after the meeting, the ARD leaders said they would continue the struggle for the restoration of the 1973 constitution and parliament's sovereignty and the alliance would continue to stay in existence till the achievement of these objectives. PML-N chairman Raja Zafarul Haq said that no component party of the ARD would hold talks or make any agreement with Gen Pervez Musharraf on its own. He added that some misunderstanding had developed between the two parties due to the statements of some PPP leaders but it had now been removed. Mr Fahim said no party would leave the alliance, formed by the late Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, till the achievement of its objectives. He said a meeting of the heads of component parties had been convened in Islamabad on Thursday to discuss the future strategy. It may be mentioned that at a press conference on Thursday, acting PML-N parliamentary leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan announced that his party would stay away from all activities of the 17-party ARD owing to the attitude of the PPP. Mr Nisar had asked the PPP to clarify its position whether it wanted to hold talks with the establishment or to launch a movement against the military government. He had also accused the PPP leadership of not taking his party into confidence about plans for the reception for ex-senator Asif Zardari in Lahore on April 16 and expressed concern over Mr Zardari's statements that the PPP was holding talks with the rulers. Soon after Mr Nisar's news conference, Mr Fahim went to the PML-N chairman's residence on the directive of party chairperson Benazir Bhutto and requested him for a meeting of senior leadership of the two parties on Monday. Mohtarma Bhutto condemns obstacles in way of justice to Party workers Denounces continued arrest of workers throughout Punjab Demands release of workers and end to political victimisation Islamabad April 25, 2005: Former Prime Minister and Chairperson PPP Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has condemned the obstructions being placed in the path of PPP supporters maliciously arrested by the authorities in the Punjab. "The authorities were not only deliberately denying the political workers judicial release after unconstitutionally arresting them but were also arresting even more workers", she said in a statement today. She said that earlier the members of the political opposition were bailed out but rearrested on terrorism charges. After the lawyers tried to get their powers of attorney, several hundred were shifted to prevent powers of attorney being signed. The former Prime Minister said that more than five hundred PPP supporters were in prisons many of them wearing clothes they had on when they went to Lahore airport on April 16 to welcome Senator Asif Ali Zardari. Preventive arrests still continued in the towns and cities of Punjab, she said. She said that the PPP supporters would not be deterred by the harsh measures taken by the administration in the Punjab. "In fact the Punjab authorities were exposing their own fascist tendencies by the inhuman measures they had taken". She saluted the spirit of the PPP supporters and told them to be strong. "Tyranny never lasted and those who were violating the constitution would soon repent the days that they did so". She also demanded the release of arrested workers and an end to the hounding of political opposition. PPP apprises Commonwealth of the plight of PPP arrested workers Islamabad, April 25, 2005: Pakistan Peoples Party has apprised the Commonwealth of the continued imprisonment and denial of judicial process of the PPP workers who were unconstitutionally arrested by the Pakistani regime on the eve of Asif Ali Zardari’s arrival at Lahore airport on 16 April 2005 and appealed the Secretary General Commonwealth to help in securing release of PPP workers. Fauzia Wahab MNA, Central Coordinator Human Rights Cell, PPP in a letter addressed to Mr. Don McKinnon, the Secretary General Commonwealth, detailing the victimisation of PPP workers wrote, "Hundreds of pro-democracy supporters arrested when they went to Lahore on April 16, 2005 to receive Opposition leader Asif Ali Zardari are being held incommunicado by the Punjab administration. They are still wearing the clothes they had on April 15, 2005 when they left for Lahore. They have no contact with their families. Several hundred workers were bailed out by the Peoples Lawyers Forum. The regime rearrested them on terrorism charges. As soon as the PLF lawyers went to get their power of attorney to file a case, they were sent to different jails across Punjab to prevent legal access. As soon as they were re-located, they were once again spread to different jails to prevent them from signing powers of attorney that are the first step for legal redress. Thousands of our workers were arrested from the railway station, or picked up from the highways or caught from the bus-stands. These peaceful citizens of Pakistan, whose crime is that they wanted to show their love for Opposition leader Mr. Zardari by receiving him at Lahore airport have been booked under section 7 of the Anti-Terrorist Act." Regarding charges of terrorism against democratic and political forces, she wrote, "Section 7 of the ATA signifies that the arrested are now all terrorists involved in "sabotage, arson, kidnapping and sectarian killing". Punishment under this section is DEATH. These are non-bail able offences. Our arrested workers will now be tried in special courts. Of the eight hundred of our missing workers till filing this report, only 456 of them could be located, while the rest are untraceable. Those located have been put in the various jails of the province, including 206 in Faislabad, 86 in Sahiwal, 47 in Multan, 28 in Gujranwala, 32 in Sargodha, 27 in Jehlum, and 30 in Mianwali. PPP Parliamentarian Ms. Naheed Khan filed an omnibus petition before the Lahore High Court asking the Court's intervention to demand that the people arrested in connection with the Lahore reception for Mr. Zardari be produced. The Lahore High Court has refused to intervene on technical grounds." Detailing difficulties faced by the families of the arrested workers Fauzia Wahab, wrote, "The families of those missing are deeply perturbed. They are running from pillar to post to find out their whereabouts, but the local administration has refused help them. The Lawyers Forum of the PPP is trying its level best in helping them. Many of them were working in various private companies and were the only bread winner of their families. This cowardly act of the Punjab Regime is a denial of democratic values. Freedom of movement, freedom of association, freedom of speech and political association are guaranteed rights under the constitution of Pakistan to every citizen of the country. Booking our workers under the heinous Anti-Terrorism Act is in itself a gross abuse and disregard of Human rights. It is also making a mockery of the serious charge of terrorism by applying it to peaceful citizens going to receive a political leader from the airport." Mohtarma Bhutto congratulates family of released Pak Embassy official Islamabad April 25, 2005: On behalf of the Pakistan Peoples Party, former Prime Minister Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has welcomed the release of kidnapped official of the Pakistan embassy in Iraq. In a message today Mohtarma congratulated Malik Mohammad Jawed and his family on his release and said that she was happy that the ordeal of the family as well as the country was over happily. Malik Mohammad Javed, an assistant at the Baghdad Pakistani embassy, was missing since April 9. In a videotapes message he had appealed for release. Swedish Political Party demands General Musharraf to release PPP Workers Condemns use of force against PPP Islamabad, 25 April 2005: The Swedish Social Democratic Party has strongly condemned the use of force against PPP workers on the arrival of Asif Ali Zardari at Lahore airport on 16 April 2005 and demanded General Musharraf for their immediate release. The Secretary General, the Swedish Social Democratic Party, Marita Ulrskog, Chairperson the Swedish Social Democratic Women’s Association, Nalin Pekgul and International Secretary, the Swedish Social Democratic Party, Ann Linde in a letter addressed to General Musharraf condemning the arrest of PPP workers wrote, "It has come to our knowledge that thousands of workers, supporters and parliamentarians of the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) last week was arrested during peaceful manifestations in various regions of Pakistan. Violence, arbitrary arrests and the use of force do not belong in a democratic state. We strongly condemn the government’s and authorities’ actions in this matter and demand the immediate release of those still held in custody." The letter was sent today to the Pakistani Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden to forward it to General Musharraf. Federation is at stake PPP is there to save it: Zardari LAHORE, April 25: Pakistan Peoples Party leader Senator Asif Ali Zardari has said that from NWFP to Balochistan and to Sindh, the federation is at stake and the provinces have been alienated. Danger to Pakistan is real and we have to strive hard to push these dangers away by restoring the democracy and the people’s power in the country, which could eliminate, poverty, hunger, unemployment and injustice from the country, he told a jam-packed Lahore High Court Bar Association’s (LHCBA) Shuhda-e-Karachi Hall where he received an standing ovation and the lawyers kept clapping for over five minutes to give Mr Zardari a rousing welcome. Asif Zardari led a big procession of the party workers and leaders from Lahore Bilawal House to LHCBA to address its members. He said the establishment is not just the military bureaucracy and the soldiers. It consists of people in the judiciary, it consists of the people in the media, it consists of large industrialists, it consists of all the interest groups all around the world, not just in Pakistan. “There is a larger interest group which has given up in our great nation. There are already think tanks which are predictiong that the future the geographical picture of Pakistan will be different. I will, with your help and with the people of Pakistan stand against them. I challenge them and I said to them we will not break we will survive, we will survive under the leadership of Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto as people like myself who will suffer even more if we need to. Thousands of people today are languishing in prison tell me what makes them go voluntarily after all we democratic forces are voluntarily peoples.” The PPP leader said that three great personalities who play key role in the foundation and history of Pakistan belonged to lawyers community. He pointed it Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Allam Mohammad Iqbal and Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto are the glittering stars of Pakistan gifted by the lawyers community to the nation of Pakistanis. He euologised the legal fraternity for being in the forefront in the struggle for the restoration of democracy and for the rights of the people and added “You the defenders of democracy and defenders of law.” Addressing the lawyers, he said, “you will always find a place in my heart and in the heart of the PPP, because you welcomed us in bad times. You fought with us, you stood by us, you gave me hope when there was none, you gave the hope of democracy, whern there was none. You stand today with us for freedom of democracy and democratic rights. Acknowledging the sacrifices of lawyers during the fight for restoration of democracy, Asif Zardari promised them, “We stand by you in this august fight.” He specially mentioned the names of leading lawyers who stood by him during his trials from Raja Anwar, Jehangir, Farooq Naik, Sarder Lateef Khosa, Dr Babar Awan to Aitzaz Ahsan. He said that the establishment chose military solution to the East Pakistan issue and you saw that we lost it. But in the bargain Punjab was blamed for it. I came here to make sure that Punjab is not blamed again for any of their actions today because you in the Punjab are as democratic, as wealthy, and as poor as anybody else in Sindh, Balochistan or NWFP. Today the divide between the rich and poor is increasing and despite the tall claims of the government we still see the people killing themselves, burning themselves, throwing themselves off the bridges, throwing themselves off the Minar-e-Pakistan. “Never before in the history of Pakistan or the faith of Islam has that even happened.” Targeting the regime, he said, “you can’t shoulder the burden of Pakistan. The danger is too grave. Your mind is not set. Your mind does not have the capacity to find the solution because as before and as in the past military might and military solutions are no solutions to the problems faced by our own people.” He said we won’t accept short of a complete democracy and complete power to the people. Earlier, in her welcome address, Justice (Retd) Fakhrunissa Khokhar, President LHCBA said that there neither democracy and supremacy of law in the country. The judiciary is not independent. She said had there been an independent judiciary and supremacy of law in the country the dictatorships could not have propped up and imposed. She said that the jails and police lock-ups in Punjab have been over crowded with the innocent PPP workers and right of the free movement of the people was obstructed and restricted. She said those coming to Lahore to receive Asif Ali Zardari were not only arrested but fixed in terrorism charges. The LHCBA President said that Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who gave Constitution to this country and create a respectable position of Pakistan among Muslim countries and the world was murdered. While Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto who is the beloved leader of the people of Pakistan was forced to live in exile and her spouse Asif Ali Zardari spent eight years in jail without any conviction. In the end she said we hope that judiciary will be made independent and an era of true democracy given to the country. The PPP leaders who were present on the occasion included Jahangir Badr, Chaudhry Aitazaz Hasan, Raja Parvaiz Ashraf, Qasim Zia, Sheikh Rafiq, Naveed Chaudhry, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Ms. Mizbah Yaseen, Mrs Talat Yaqoob, Ms Ruksana Bangash, Khalid Khar, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, and others. Mohtarma Bhutto condemns gang rape in Sialkot Demands culprits be arrested and brought to justice Islamabad April 23, 2005: Former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has expressed deep anguish over the rape incident in Sialkot and the bid at self immolation of the father of the girl. A teen-age girl was gang raped in Sialkot last week allegedly by three men who later made good their escape. The father of the victim has alleged that when he took the matter to the police, two officials of the Sialkot Civil Lines Police instead of helping also assaulted her. The police were now allegedly forcing him to reach a compromise with the accused police officials. The father Asghar Bhatti protesting against the police pressure on him to withdraw the gang rape case tried to torch himself outside Lahore Press Club, but was rescued. In a statement today the former Prime Minister held the rulers responsible for the humiliation of women through gang rape and other acts of violence against them. She said that gang rapes were on the rise ever since the gang rape of Dr Shazia in Sui was hushed up mysteriously. "While these incidents continue to bring bad name to the country in the world the rulers are mindlessly pursuing political opponents for vendetta". She asked the regime to immediately arrest the culprits and award them exemplary punishment under the law. The former Prime Minster also directed the women parliamentarians of the Party to visit the victim and to provide her moral and legal support. The Party Chairperson also directed various committees of the Party to raise the issue before international human rights bodies and foreign diplomats in Islamabad. PPP apprises UN Commission for HR of continued incarceration of PPP Workers Islamabad, April 23, 2005: Pakistan Peoples Party has apprised the United Nation Commission for Human Rights of the continued imprisonment of 800 PPP workers by the Pakistan regime despite its claim that al the PPP activists have been released. In a letter addressed to Mr. Bertrand Ramcharan the acting high commissioner, the Central Coordinator of Human Rights Desk, PPP, Ms. Fauzia Wahab MNA wrote, "In the Lower Mall police station alone there are about 180 activists who are being caused great discomfort by being squeezed in a claustrophobic environment. Others have been kept in a horse stable with a view to degrade them further. The overcrowding of the cells has led to the toilets breaking down and the regime is refusing to fix the toilets. There is a nauseating smell and no toilet facilities. This is being done to torture the detainees which is inhuman and against UN rules and regulations. Moreover, in some police stations, sewerage water has been deliberately released in the lock ups to wet the detainees with dirty water. Such primitive methods of punishment are unlawful and contribute to intolerance, immoderation and extremism." Regarding the victimisation of women activists, she wrote, "Our lady activists from other provinces, who were arrested on the 15th of April and sent on judicial remand to Kot Lakhpat Jail, have been asked to furnish a surety bond of Rs. 50,000/- each. On the April 18, 2005 the PPP arranged for the amount, but the Magistrate became untraceable when the amount was to be submitted. Thus our women are still behind the bars. Most of them are working women who had come only for the weekend to attend the reception rally of Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, but as they are unable to return to their jobs, it is likely that their services will be terminated." She further wrote, "In a country where trade unionism is banned and where the private sector has immense hiring and firing power, such activities are disapproved. A political worker in our society is most vulnerable in such situation. He lives in an environment of constant job insecurity. Besides the mental and physical torture that he or she had to go through, they are now threatened with the possibility of losing their jobs. The stopping of our workers, indeed, from exercising their democratic political right has exposed the government's claim of being tolerant and liberal towards the opposition. They over-reacted." Exposing the duality of the regime Ms. Wahab wrote, "Their tolerant face remains confined to the religious parties only, who are allowed to take out rallies, processions and hold public meetings in all the four corners of the country, but the same policy of tolerance becomes inapplicable when it comes to the Peoples Party. They know that the PPP is a genuine political party, which has its roots in the masses and they fear its political power. To quote the Human Rights Watch group: ". democracies do not use force to prevent peaceful gatherings. There is nothing enlightened or moderate about arresting thousands of people who merely want to participate in the country's political process"." "The Human Rights Cell of the Pakistan Peoples Party condemns the oppressive government of the PML (Q) and demands the immediate release of our workers in Kot Lakhpat Jail and the various police stations of Lahore", Fauzia Wahab concluded. Mohtarma Bhutto welcomes election of new Pontiff Says it is time of celebration for Christian community Islamabad April 23, 2005: Former Prime Minister Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has welcomed the election of a new Pontiff by the Vatican following the passing away of Pope John Paul 11 as a day of significance and celebration for people of the Christian faith. Felicitating the new Pontiff on behalf of the PPP the former Prime Minster said that the new pontiff has chosen the name Benedict, which in Latin means "blessed" and expressed the hope that his era would be a blessed one not only for the Christians but also for the world community. She recalled the earlier Pope Benedict XV whose papacy coincided with the First World War used diplomatic skills to end conflict and to bring peace. She hoped that the new Pope's era would also be a harbinger of peace and of inter-faith understanding and harmony. The former Prime Minister said that when John Paul II was elected, the international community's concern revolved on East-West relations. Pope Benedict takes over the Papacy at a time when relations with the Muslim world are dominating the world stage, she said and expressed the hope that relations between Christianity and Islam would continue to grow under him. Noting the commonality both religions place on helping the poor and needy, Mohtarma Bhutto prayed that the tensions between the countries of the South and North over issues such as Globalisation and debt relief would also decrease. She congratulated the Christians of Pakistan, and Christians all over the world, on the election of Pope Benedict. By Wajid Shamsul Hasan LONDON, April 24: Contrary to the wishes and high hopes of Pakistan's Defence Minister, Sindh Chief Minister and many others in the Government who had committed to resign if Asif Ali Zardari returned home, the former Senator did manage to be back despite the state of siege clamped on the provincial capital. At the time of writing this piece from amongst thousands of PPP supporters arrested during the government's panic operation, quite a large number are still in police custody while barricades that had been erected around Lahore's Bilawal House remain put in the debris of President General Pervez Musharraf's 'enlightened moderation' and self-trumpeted democratic credentials. The red-alert at the Pakistani airports, swarming of the provincial capital with more than 25,000-strong police force, suspension of train services, clampdown on private transporters, massive arrests and curfew-like conditions in and around Lahore Airport, hours before the landing had won the day for Benazir Bhutto, her spouse and the PPP much before the actual event. While people in Pakistan were directly affected by the government's brutal operation, fig-leaf of General Pervez Musharraf's credibility or call what you may, was torn into pieces by CNN, BBC and the international electronic and print media world over by keeping their cameras focused on the ugly scenes showing journalists accompanying Zardari being bodily dragged by the police into their vans. It remained first lead for several hours despite Musharraf doing his high-profile Delhi yatra and best of efforts by his media managers to get him first on the box. Asif's return proved to be much more important than Musharraf's visit to Delhi. Although the entire operation was carried out on a war footing by the government, the day belonged to Asif Zardari for his courage and the PPP workers and supporters for their democratic commitment. The "jiyalas" were back in their old fighting form with determination to do and die for the party and its leader Benazir Bhutto. One of them actually tried to torch himself to death in protest. The extent of party's strength and popularity can be judged from the crude show of relief expressed by the Punjab Chief Minister who lost no time in hosting a feasty feast for the Punjab police personnel for laying a successful siege of the provincial capital. A senior police officer on surety of anonymity told me on phone: "Message from Lahore must be profoundly reassuring for the PPP Chairperson who is reported to be deliberating over the possible dates to return home." Yet another officer whose job was on the line during the operation, commenting on the lavish "bara khana" for the police said: "Wait for the Independence Day Award list. You shouldn' t be surprised to see many get medals for 'winning' the battle for Lahore. It was a 'victory' like that of Kargil". I can understand the cynicism under lying this remark. After all most of the medals that comically decorate the Khakis are not given for performing bravely in war against the country but for the battles against the Pakistani people fought in Waziristan, Baluchistan or Sindh. The Financial Times correspondent in Islamabad, Farhan Bokhari, believes much of the satisfaction for "Mr Zardari must come from the sheer incompetence which went into the government's handling of his arrival in Lahore last week. From battling journalists on that inbound flight, to confining politicians to the safety of official detention facilities, General Musharraf's government has only proven that political and civil liberties in today's Pakistan must have limitations. The idea of enlightened moderation notwithstanding, the government has suffered one of the worst setbacks to its relations with the Pakistani Press in the wake of Mr Zardari's return journey. In spite of much lip service to the contrary, the Pakistani government has no way of demonstrating that it remains tolerant to dissent." The enormous state of siege and the operation to stop the masses from welcoming back Zardari has profusely demonstrated the fact that the PPP, under the undisputed leadership of Benazir Bhutto, remains the strongest threat to the forces of status quo, the Praetorian establishment and its created political hangers-on as manifested in the form of PML-Q and the sunshine Patriots. The countrywide mobilization by the PPP in such a short time shows how deep its roots are in the masses. It is also an _expression of confidence and explicit faith of the downtrodden people in its leadership to free them of the exploitative hold of those who do not believe in power to the people. Men and women in the street believe that it is only the PPP that can help them fulfil their democratic and socio-economic aspirations and empower them to be masters of their own destiny. It is the popular belief that Benazir and PPP being the true heirs to Shaheed Bhutto's legacy and commitment of 'roti, kapra and makkan', can bring to an end their socio-economic miseries and strangulation. The siege of Lahore and unleashing of state tyranny on the unarmed people exercising their democratic right to assemble has established beyond any iota of doubt that it is nothing but naked totalitarianism under the veneer of a so-called parliamentary system - a Praetorian contraption not based on the will of the people or their mandate but on the use of brute force by usurper forces. The magnitude of oppression in the "Operation Lahore", besides subjecting the people with untold sufferings, also exposed the General in the eyes of his western democratic friends who wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt regarding his claim that he was seeking support from liberal forces and that that he wanted to build an enlightened society. The intolerant, immoderate and extremist reaction to a peaceful political rally clearly has demonstrated well that the regime was incapable of defending the values of enlightenment. Not only that, it has also brought into international focus the regime's politics of duplicity and selectivity. The ban of the PPP rally and brutal treatment to the people much before they had assembled coupled with General Musharraf's defence of the MMA's so-called 'million marches' (publicized by the official media as such) 'as peaceful, disciplined and well-organised' has established a conspiratorial liaison between him and the MMA obviously to blackmail the world community to accept the military dictatorship or face a Jihadi take over of Pakistan's nuclear assets. In this context it is worth reminding the international community that it were his Jihadi favorites from the MMA fold under the provincial government of his blue eyed boys, the Choudhries of Gujrat, that a marathon race of boys and girls was allowed to be attacked and beaten up by the Jihadi goons while the Punjab police remained a silent witness to the ugly operation victims of which are still nursing their wounds. It is now an established pattern that the regime runs with the American hare and hunts with the Jihadi hounds. An operation on war footing denying the democratic right to hold a rally to the PPP has demonstrated that the regime was indeed conspiring to allow the MMA the advantage of political freedom and deny the same to the moderate and liberal opposition parties. Analysts apprehend this duplicity could backfire on the nation just as support to extremist elements among the Afghan Mujahideen had backfired resulting in the emergence of the Taliban and the Al-Qaeda. The countrywide crackdown on PPP also exposed the regime's cat-and-mouse game in pursuing its so-called policy of reconciliation. It had claimed that an even playing field would be allowed to all the political parties. Its resort to imposing a state of siege on Lahore has proved as utterly false its claim at reconciliation. By denying to PPP the political space given to the MMA and PML-Q as well as others to hold public meetings, rallies, processions and bus in their supporters from different parts of the country without hindrance from the authorities, has exposed its bias against the country's largest and most popularly liberal party. The regime has thus knocked the bottom off the popular perception created by it to show to the world that it was seeking and working at reconciliation with genuinely enlightened democratic forces. The so-called political and democratic contraption that General Musharraf has established following the grossly flawed and overly rigged elections in 2002 replacing the federal parliamentary system as envisaged in the 1973 Constitution, is neither democratic nor federal. It did not have anything to do with the people or their vital interests. It had only one aim: to consolidate power in one single individual who is also the army chief and to hoodwink the world by masquerading it as democratic. As a result of its gross failure and its speedy unraveling, life in Pakistan has become short, brutish and nasty with mounting problems for the people leaving them with minimal opportunity for survival. It is time to call a spade a spade. Successive military dictators have led the military as an institution into disrepute and ever since the murder of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto the country has been plunged into a fratricidal conflict struggle between the Bonapartist generals and the people of Pakistan, the former enforcing might as right with the barrel of the gun opposed by the masses seeking the supremacy of the vote. We have had 57 years of chequered history. There is not much time left. We have to resolve various contradictions before all is over for us. The challenges faced by the masses are socio-economic and politically multifaceted and they can only be overcome through democratically institutionalized existence. General Pervez Musharraf, as the so-called democratic leader of the "most militarized state" in the world has acquired the stamp of legitimacy not from his own people but from his foreign masters. There is a consensus that Bonapartists have pushed Pakistan into a quagmire of problems that pose much more serious a challenge than that of 1971. There is a big question mark on its future and its very survival as a federal state is in doubt especially when its generals and those politicians in cahoots with them seem to be determined in pushing Quaid's Pakistan it into the dustbin of history. The unwavering support of voters between 38 to 42 per cent that the PPP has sustained since its inception shows the confidence masses have in its leadership and why not. Political history of the sub-continent hardly has a match in personal sacrifice where a family lost its head of the family (ZAB), Begum Bhutto perennially afflicted with a wound that has now taken the toll, with her two sons (Shahnawaz and Murtaza Bhutto) murdered by the Establishment and where its Chairperson (Benazir Bhutto) and her spouse (Asif Zardari) have waddled through oceans of torture, prosecution and persecution without compromising on their principles and commitment to serve the poor, come what may. Time is running out fast on the military establishment to realize that sooner than later it has to make room for a genuine government of the people, by the people and for the people. It cannot continue its hold on the destiny of the nation by proxy or through a civilian charade. It must reconcile itself to productive co-existence with Pakistan People's Party so that both could play a role complimentary to each other for the good of the people and the country. Asif Zardari's recent statement that PPP is ready to carry along the military establishment on its democratic goal should not be construed as one made from a position of weakness or on the basis of a deal. Most certainly not. It reflects a ground reality. Pakistan is threatened with annihilation. To save it would require a national effort. And only a party as large and popular as PPP has the courage and strength to restore our military the image of a national institution rather than a handmaid of ambitious generals. Its leadership has the guts and vision to make it integral part of national life again rather than its present perception that it is above the state. Today General Musharraf, many years too late and after much damage, has adopted most of PPP's positions on foreign policy, relations with India and Kashmir issue. He is following on the dotted lines drawn by Benazir Bhutto including the confidence building measures, softening of the borders, bus service etc., while few years back he had considered her a security risks.