Leaders of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy have reiterated their commitment to end the role of armed forces in politics which, they said, had been harming the country since its inception. Speaking at a public meeting here on Sunday, they said three rivers of the country was handed over to India occurred during the army rule in 1958, the 1969 martial law resulted in dismemberment of the country and the heroin and Kalashnikov culture was introduced by Gen Zia-ul-Haq's regime. They said that history would reveal the losses the country had been suffering, and would suffer, during the rule of President Gen Pervez Musharraf. ARD Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim said army's role was clearly defined in the Constitution, which was to protect the country's borders.
| Which hasn't been a problem lately, so the army has had lots of time to do ... other stuff. |
He said that genuine national leadership of the country namely them should be allowed to return to the country. The ARD movement, he added, would continue till the restoration of true democracy. Mr Fahim further said the ARD would not accept Gen Musharraf as president even if he left the army. He termed the 17th Amendment unconstitutional. The ARD chief said despite the government's claim of about $12 billion foreign exchange reserves, people were facing starvation due to price-hike. Opposing the construction of Kalabagh dam, he said it would mainly irrigate the lands of army generals. Only those dams should be built where there was a consensus among the four provinces.
| Cheez, these guys sound like a bunch of whiny Dems. |
| Technically, I wouldn't be surprized if the new dams irrigated Pak Army generals' fields. Retiring in one piece from the Pak officer corps is rumored to be highly profitable. |
ARD Secretary General Iqbal Zafar Jhagra said the struggle was aimed at revival of the 1973 Constitution. Welcoming the participation of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal leaders, Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, MNA Asadullah Bhutto and Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro, in the ARD public meeting, he said the MMA supported the ARD stand on the 17th Amendment. He said the combined opposition's struggle would continue till the end of Gen Musharraf's rule. The National Security Council, he said, was a contravention of the constitution and undermined the supremacy of parliament. He regretted that the state institutions had been made subservient to Gen Musharraf. Mr Jhagra said that after coming into power the ARD would do away with the supra-constitutional NSC. MNA Tehmina Daultana said that Gen Musharraf's wrong policies had brought disrepute for the armed forces. The top brass of the army, she alleged, was engaged in minting money and acquiring plots, instead of performing its duty.
| Which is so different from all the other Muslim and third-world countries. |
She said the president was afraid of the genuine leadership because after their return he would find no place for himself. MMA leader Asadullah Bhutto alleged the president was using state resources for strengthening his rule. He said the MMA and the ARD would jointly struggle for the repeal of the 17th Amendment and to bring an end to army's role in politics.
| This sounds like the airhead division of Pakiwaki politics. |
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