Imran Khan asks opp not to move SC against proposed re-election of Musharraf

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman, Imran Khan has advised the opposition not to move to the Supreme Court against the proposed re-election of President General Pervez Musharraf by the incumbent assemblies as, the apex court’s verdict will be in favour of the government.

“The opposition parties have no other option but to go to the masses against unconstitutional (proposed) re-election of General Musharraf by the sitting assemblies. If they (opposition parties) commit this mistake, they will be in total loss in line with the past”, Khan contended while addressing “meet the press” programme at the Karachi Press Club on Wednesday.

The cricketer-turned politician said he did not expect any relief from the apex court if the opposition parties took the issue of the re-election of an uniformed president there. ” Unfortunately, the judiciary is not independent. There are some no-go areas for the Supreme Court, and it cannot operate in these areas”, he asserted.

’Punjab has become a police state’

BAHAWALPUR: In a rally held under the auspices of MMA, Liaqat Baloch and Imran Khan, while addressing the occasion, have accused the Punjab of turning into a hotbed of police state, backing all the feudals, and nefarious elements.

They said that public life and property was most unsafe, and quoted the statement of Lahore High Court Bench which had earlier expressed the exact sentiments.

Liaqat Baloch accused the government of sabotaging the integrity of two-nation theory, Islamic values and culture of the Nation, and forcing the unemployed youth of the Country towards criminal activities.

GDA, The only platform for struggle

PTI Sindh President Zubair Khan has condemned missile attack on a religious seminary at Khar, Bajor (NWFP). He said the strike was launched to appease the Bush Administration to pave the way sought for consistency to rule the country for decade. The attack was pre-planned and the purpose was to impress the US Government that the present coalition Government led by General Pervaiz Musharraf is acting as the sole trustworthy US ally against terrorism and no other government would entertain the interests of the US Government. He was speaking to a large protest rally and demonstration outside Karachi Press Club staged against the missile attack on Khar, Bajor and show unity with the victims.

APC sans Benazir to be of no use, no importance: Imran Khan

LAHORE: PTI chief Imran Khan has said All Parties Conference (APC) will lose its importance as well as necessity if Benazir Bhutto does not participate in it.

He said this while talking to Online Monday on the eve of a ceremony held here in a local hotel in connection with joint cooperation between Shaukat Khanum Memorial hospital and research centre and Sisko company.

He underscored the need for joint role of opposition to bring to end the rule of an individual. The need is there that opposition goes ahead in unison for restoration of genuine democracy in the country. But it is unfortunate that government agencies are blocking the formation of opposition grand alliance on every step, he maintained.

To a question on participation in election in the presence of President Musharraf he said no one can even think that transparent election will be held under general Musharraf. We are very clear on it. The objectives can not be achieved if only one party boycotts. To my opinion the matter of participation in election in the presence of general Musharraf will be decided in the APC being convened by Nawaz Sharif in London, he remarked.

He predicted 2007 is year of vital changes. ” We are trying to persuade opposition parties to launch protest movement from a joint forum. If opposition initiates the movement for a joint motive then to my opinion the chances will grow 100 percent to launch a massive movement against the rulers this year.

If opposition is agreed on a common agenda, people are ready to go for a massive movement against the government, he remarked. As far as his party is concerned it has already started country wide mass contact campaign, he told.

Source: Paktribune

MPC forms campaign panel

QUETTA, Jan 14: A multi-party conference (MPC) here on Sunday constituted a committee to contact the political leadership of other provinces for launching a nation-wide movement for restoration of genuine democracy in the country.

It appealed to the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of what was described as government’s unconstitutional and extra-judicial actions and to stop such actions.

The meeting opposed the fencing and mining of borders with Afghanistan and urged the government to review its decision.

The conference convened by the Balochistan chapter of PPP Parliamentarians was attended by the National Party, Balochistan National Party (Mengal), Awami National Party, PML-N, Jamhoori Watan Party, Jamaat-i-Islami and Tehrik Insaf. It was presided over by the PPP’s provincial chief Nawabzada Lashkari Raisani. The Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party did not attend the conference.

PML-N, PTI and MMA join hands in Punjab

LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Muttahidda Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will hold joint public meetings in Multan, Lahore and Rawalpindi in February, as part of an anti-government campaign.

The decision on continuing the campaign will be made after the initial rallies. A coordination committee consisting of Raja Ishfaq Sarwar, Inamullah Khan Niazi and Manshaullah Butt of the PML-N, Pir Ejaz Hashmi, Maulana Amjad Khan and Waqas Jaffari of the MMA, and Mian Sajid Pervaiz, Amin Zaki and Umer Sarfaraz Cheema of the PTI will arrange the meetings.

PTI, JI for campaign against Musharraf

LAHORE, Jan 7: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Sunday called on MMA chief Qazi Husain Ahmad at Mansoorah and both the leaders stressed the need for forming an anti-Musharraf platform for limiting the army to its constitutional role.

Speaking on the occasion, Qazi Husain said patriotic parties needed to get on one platform for checking any extra-constitutional role of the army. He said he was in touch with all the parties, including the ARD, MMA and PTI.

He said the JI was trying to mobilise the masses for removing military dictatorship and ensuring fair and free elections.

“Parties do not want to take part in elections under a dictator, who controls almost everything in the country.”

Imran Khan said mobilising people was the only way to stop Pervez Musharraf turning into Hosni Mubarak of Pakistan.

“The General controls everything — judiciary, election commission and district governments — in the country, and there is no other way but to mobilise people.”

He said all those parties which did not want to negotiate with Gen Musharraf should get on one platform and struggle against the military dictator.

Source: Dawn

Musharraf, country can’t coexist: Imran

Police beat PTI workers in Pakpattan

PAKPATTAN: Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan said on Sunday that “violent and anti-people” policies of Gen Pervez Musharraf and Pakistan could not survive together and either Musharraf or the country will remain.

Addressing a rally at Chowk Chitty Qabar here, he added if Musharraf continued “to kill” his people in the name of the war against terror just to please his American master, Bush, it would further promote extremism and terrorism in the country.

There is no justice as corrupt and rich people become rulers, while poor and innocent people are in jails, Imran said, adding that 70,000 poor people are in jails.

No one has given a licence to Gen Musharraf and his government to declare anyone a terrorist, the PTI chief said and maintained the people are suffering due to “ill-advised decisions” of the government and that the integrity and solidarity of the country had been put at stake.

Imran asserted that the rule of law should be maintained but unfortunately there was no respect for law in Pakistan at present. He said the main issues of the day were unemployment and dearness.

The government has not given any relief to the masses, he said and asked that if the situation is that everything has to be decided by the rulers themselves, what the justification is for the judiciary and other institutions in the country. He held the view that is the worst failure of all opposition parties that they could not unite, which was why Musharraf was still ruling.

Earlier, addressing people at Noor Pur and Malka Hans, Imran said the PTI would start a drive against Musharraf in cooperation with the PML-N, the MMA and other opposition parties.

Before his arrival in Pakpattan, police chased party workers who had gathered at different places to welcome Imran and beat them up.

Imran moved along a rally from Chowk 19-SP to the shrine of Hazrat Baba Farid Gunj Shakkar (RA) where he offered Fateha.

PTI district president Riaz Arshad Khan Niazi suggested stepping up the mass contact campaign of party.

Source: The News

Government priorities misplaced: Imran

LAHORE, Dec 21: Teheek-i-Insaaf chief Imran Khan says the present government is an anti-people set-up with misplaced priorities. “The rulers are spending billions of rupees in security and other useless heads, but they are not ready to reduce oil prices which are on the slide in the international market,” Khan told a news conference.

The government, he said, was trying to make money by piling misery on its people, which should be condemned in the strongest possible terms.

About his meeting with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, he said it was an effort to get the entire opposition on board on one-point agenda — removal of military dictatorship and restoration of genuine democracy in the country.

In addition to it, he added, Pakistan also needed independent judiciary, election commission and National Accountability Bureau.

The PTI, he said, was of the opinion that all parties should join hands to play their role in the restoration of democracy. “If these parties do not join hands, the general will manipulate elections, impose a dummy government on the people and have another subservient man elected as prime minister.”

Should that happen, he warned, the country would neither get any foreign investment nor development.

The PTI, according to him, was striving hard to get all parties attend the APC at London so that they could play an effective role.

Flanked by other party leaders, Imran Khan took exception to the Punjab government for imposing opposition-specific Section 144. He said the chief minister, along with President Pervez Musharraf, had been holding election rallies at state expense but was not allowing opposition to hold such rallies.

He termed the finalisation of civil nuclear deal between India and the US a failure of Pakistan’s foreign policy.

“The government of Pakistan is killing its own people in order to please its American masters. In spite of offering every kind of incentive on Kashmir to India, the military ruler has failed to get any concession in return.”

The Pakistani government, Khan added, was doing everything under the sun to please the US government, which in turn was busy pleasing India.

Source: Dawn

Imran unveils opposition parties London plan to launch anti Musharraf campaign ahead of presidential election

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan unveiled opposition’s London Plan to launch movement against the government ahead of next presidential elections saying Jamaat-e-Islami, PML-N and his party will initiate anti government campaign rather than participating in the elections under General Pervez Musharraf.

He said this while talking in a private TV channel program “Capital Talk” here Tuesday.

” I during my recent visit to London discussed the prospects of launching movement against general Musharraf with Mian Nawaz Sharif and it was resolved that we will not participate in elections under general Musharraf”, he informed.

He went on to say that PTI, JI and PML-N will kick off movement against the government instead of contesting elections in the presence of general Musharraf. ” I will talk to MMA and efforts will be made to unite opposition on one platform. I have revealed plan A and will disclose plan B and C on opportune time”, he added.

PPP-P vice chairman Yousuf Raza Gillani said London Plan is not in his knowledge. However all the opposition parties are considering the option to resign ahead of presidential elections.

About his release from jail, he said it is not result of any deal with the government.

Information minister Muhammad Ali Durrani said no London plan of opposition parties would succeed. All the opposition parties would participate in the general elections in the presence of general Musharraf. Opposition was invited for talks on formation of independent election commission. But Imran Khan rejected this invitation saying government is not sincere in holding fair and transparent elections.

Durrani held that general Pervez Musharraf is the most popular person in the country due to his people friendly policies.

Rejecting the survey recently conducted by an American institution Imran Khan has said that people of Pakistan has not made this announcement of popularity but it has come from white house.

When asked by Capital talk program host Hamid Mir if general Musharraf is so popular then why he does not take off uniform, information minister said general Musharraf popularity has no relevance with his uniform. The women protection bill, people friendly budget and president employment scheme are behind his popularity.

PPP-P leader Yousuf Raza Gillani if the issue of popularity is to be decided then let Nawaz Sharif and Benazir return to Pakistan and contest the election. Decision will be before us who is popular.

Source: International News Network

PML-N, JI agree to launch anti-govt drive: Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Chairman, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan has termed impossible the holding of free, fair and transparent elections under the supervision of General Pervez Musharraf and said that Pakistan Muslim League (N), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and his party are united on one-point agenda for the removal of the present regime.

He was addressing a news conference here Tuesday after his return from foreign visit in which he met with former Prime Minister and leader of PML-N, Mian Nawaz Sharif and President PML-N, Shahbaz Shrif.

The PTI Chairman said that other ‘like-minded’ opposition parties would be contacted soon for their participation in the anti-government drive adding that it would be launched within one and a half week across the country.

He said, the three main opposition parties have decided to launch campaign for the removal of Musharraf before taking any home work for the next polls.

Imran said that JI Amir and MMA President Qazi Hussain Ahmed has been agreed upon the campaign adding that the JI Amir would try to convince the other ally parties of the MMA while Mian Nawaz Shairf would be working on to convince ARD allies including PPP.

He said that he was also in contact with the leaders of the Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement (PONM) so that to induce them for a united anti-Musharraf campaign.

Source: The News

Nawaz Sharif postpones APC till mid January

LAHORE: Mian Nawaz Sharif, former prime minister and patron of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has postponed an all parties conference (APC) till the second week of January on the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal’s (MMA) request, sources told Daily Times on Sunday.

The sources said that the final date for the APC would be decided during a meeting between Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto in the last week of this month.

The sources said that the APC had been postponed on the MMA’s request. The MMA leadership told Sharif that most of the members of the religious alliance were going for Haj and it wouldn’t be possible for them to attend the APC if it was convened this month. They added that Sharif lauded the MMA for delaying its decision of resigning from the National Assembly and asked the alliance to resolve their internal differences in the upcoming MMA Supreme Council meeting.

The sources said that Sharif had also directed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan to keep in contact with the MMA and other regional opposition parties for holding an effective APC. They added that Khan told Sharif that he was willing to talk to all opposition parties except the PPP, but Sharif asked him not to worry because Benazir Bhutto and Makhdoom Amin Faheem were in contact with him (Sharif). The sources said that Sharif had also postponed a meeting with the PML-N Lahore division leadership because the PML-N Punjab president could not reach London.

Source: Daily Times

PTI terms Imran-Nawaz London meeting crucial

NAWABSHAH: President Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh Muhammad Zubair Khan has said forces opposed to the United States will sweep the forthcoming general election if held in a free and transparent manner.

The PTI will go for seat adjustments with “pro-Pakistan nationalist powers”, he said while addressing a press conference at the press club here on Friday.

Khan said Friday’s meeting between PTI chief Imran Khan and Pakistan Muslim League-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif in London would leave deep effects on the politics of the country.

He said the government under the cover of the Women Protection Act has attempted to sabotage efforts of the PTI chief to bring the opposition on to a platform. He noted that 40 members of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League did not vote in favour of the Women Protection Bill, while the casting of 100 per cent votes by the Pakistan People’s Party in its favour proved links between the PPP and the government.

Khan remarked that the extension of support by the PPP to the government has also caused damage to the charter of democracy.

He said Gen Pervez Musharraf has become “a necessity’ for America. He said people of Bajaur, Waziristan and Balochistan played a role in saving Pakistan, but they were now being bombarded. He claimed that more Pakistan Army men than American soldiers were killed in the war in Afghanistan.

He said his party was running a mass contact campaign and in the second phase would launch a civil disobedience campaign.

Source: The News

Imran Khan meeting Sharif brothers today

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Imran Khan will hold another meeting with former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Mian Shahbaz Sharif today (Friday) to make plans for a joint anti-government movement.

The meeting will be aimed at finalising a date for an all parties’ conference (APC) in London. According to PTI sources, Khan talked to Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) leaders over the telephone and thanked them for postponing their parliamentary resignations.

He assured the MMA leaders that he would try his best to persuade their PPP counterparts to forget differences with the religious alliance and cooperate for a joint struggle against the government. Khan was also ready to play the role of a mediator between the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD), MMA and other parties to unite them on a single platform, said Punjab PTI Information Secretary Umer Cheema. He told Daily Times that the meeting between Khan and the Sharif brothers would also finalise plans for unity among various political parties and alliances.

He said that by December 10, the PTI chief would be in Pakistan, and he would hold meetings with other party leaders to take them into confidence over his meeting with the Sharif brothers. The information secretary said that the all parties’ conference would be held within the next two weeks.

Source: Daily Times

Imran meets Nawaz

LONDON, Dec 5: Tehrik-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan called on former prime minister Nawaz Sharif here at the latter’s international secretariat on Tuesday amidst speculations that the former had brought a message from MMA President Qazi Hussain Ahmed for the PML(N) chief.

Qazi Hussain Ahmed perhaps wants Nawaz Sharif to join him in the planned agitation against the government and also go along with the religious parties on the issues of resignations from parliament and boycotting the general election.In what was described by observers here as their first-ever meeting since Imran’s entry into politics or at least since Mr Nawaz was exile from Pakistan in 2000, the two had two separate sessions — one in the presence of PML (N)’s central working committee (CWC) members who are here to finalise a strategy for sending the army back to the barracks for good and the other with only a couple of confidantes of Mr Nawaz, including Shahbaz Sharif, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Ghous Ali Shah.

After the first session, Imran Khan and Mr Nawaz faced the media. It appeared as if both were in agreement that the army should discontinue its role in politics, but were finding it difficult to agree on the definition of what Imran called the ‘genuine opposition’.

Imran Khan insisted that the time was ripe for launching a country-wide movement to force President Musharraf out, `but they are confused because of the diverse signals coming out of the opposition camp. They want to know what exactly does the opposition want, an election or an agitation’.

Mr Nawaz said that was why he had decided to call an All Parties Conference (APC) at any place of Imran’s and Qazi Sahib’s choice and at this APC `we should be able to come up with a one-point agenda of ousting the army from government’.

One gathered from the way the two answered journalists’ questions that while Imran wanted Nawaz to come out openly on the side of the MMA and also denounce President Musharraf’s subservience to the US, Mr Nawaz was seemingly caught up between his heart and mind on these issues __ with the heart ready to go with the religious parties while the mind cautioning him against.

Mr Nawaz said he did not wish to contest the election merely to return to power, but to oust the army from power: “In this election we can all contest for just one purpose — to send the Army back to the barracks and for this we can join hands as well as make seat adjustments and then we can hold another election after six months and transfer power to whichever party won those polls.”

Mr Nawaz, without saying it explicitly, appeared to be interested in bringing about a qualitative change in the country’s politics — a kind of revolution — as ousting the Army from governance would not be anything less.

Source: Dawn

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Imran Khan told the media men while sitting beside Nawaz Sharif that presently people in Pakistan were quite confused as they did not know in what direction they were being led by the opposition parties. Imran said unfortunately every day the public heard contrasting statements from the opposition leaders, which was not a good sign, and it might not serve the purpose of opposition parties.

He also accused one major opposition party without naming it, which according to his understanding frustrated the efforts of opposition parties to announce a combined opposition against General Musharraf. He did not tell the name of the party despite being asked repeatedly although everybody understood it was the PPPP. Imran said people were confused about the strategy of political parties.

Source: The News

Don’t let Musharraf cash in on opposition’s rift: Imran

HYDERABAD: President Gen Pervez Musharraf will become “Hosni Mubarak of Pakistan” in case the rift between opposition parties of the country continues.

The warning was given by Chairman Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan, who was talking to newsmen after leading a rally as part of his party’s mobilisation campaign against the government here on Sunday.

He urged the opposition parties to unite against the Musharraf government for transparent elections and democracy in the country.

“The opposition should immediately launch a drive against the Musharraf government with unity, otherwise differences within ranks of opposition would actually benefit Musharraf,” Khan said.

He said the government has already started rigging the next year’s general election.

He described the elections as a fraud, as he said were the 2002 general election and the local elections.

He said his party was not allowed to stage rallies in Karachi and the Punjab and that his party’s activists had been stopped from participating in the Hyderabad rally, which negated the government claim of flourishing democratic norms in the country.

Government parties are taking out rallies with public money, but the PTI is not allowed to hold public meetings and rallies, he protested.

Khan said the rulers would break all records of rigging in the next elections as President Musharraf is asking the people to vote for the “Q-League”.

He advised the opposition parties to start focusing on launching a drive against the government instead of preparing for the general election, and stressed the need for launching a protest movement for the holding of

free and fair elections in the country.

He said he had already held a meeting with MMA chief Qazi Hussein Ahmed and would meet PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif in London to develop a consensus on launching a combined drive against Musharraf as well as on tendering resignations from the assemblies.

The PTI chief stated that he requested Qazi to take all MMA parties on board for launching the anti-government drive. He said he would also seek cooperation from Nawaz Sharif as regards the ARD parties.

He didn’t rule out a meeting with Benazir Bhutto after meeting Nawaz but said he would not hold a meeting with Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussein because his party was a coalition partner in the government.

“My meeting with Nawaz Sharif would definitely bring results,” he said when asked about the outcome of his scheduled meeting in London on Tuesday.

He said the meeting would make it clear as to which party is launching an anti-Musharraf campaign and who is supporting the government.

Answering a question, Khan said the Women Protection Act is a fraud aimed at breaking the opposition alliance and pleasing the United States but it has nothing to do with women’s protection.

He said he was against the Hudood Ordinance because a military dictator enforced it, adding that amendments to the ordinance by yet another military dictator were therefore unacceptable to him.

“I am not pessimistic about the situation,” Khan said and urged the political parties to remain united to launch a joint drive against Musharraf and continue it until the departure of the current regime.

He was also critical of the “politics of deals” and added that whichever party entered into such deals it would destroy its future.

Source: The News

Qazi, Imran join hands against Musharraf

ISLAMABAD: Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have agreed on intensifying their joint movement against President Pervez Musharraf and the government. PTI chairman Imran Khan called on MMA president and Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Qazi Hussain Ahmad here at his residence and discussed political issues, including resignations from the assemblies. The two leaders agreed to further organise and activate the movement against the government and appealed to other opposition partiers to collectively resign from the assemblies.

Source: The News

Imran for joint struggle against military rule

KOHAT, Nov 28: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan has urged opposition parties to agree on a one-point agenda of removing the government of Gen Pervez Musharraf to ensure free and fair polls.

Addressing a big public meeting at the Company Park here on Tuesday, he said: “The opposition is indecisive whether to get rid of the dictator first or to contest elections under his authority, as leaders of main political parties are still shuttling between Islamabad and London for a patch-up.”

He said that he was so disappointed by the attitude of some opposition parties that his party had decided to launch a mass movement against the government alone. He said the opposition should immediately start a joint struggle for removal of present government.

“They, on one hand, say that fair elections are not possible under President Gen Musharraf but at the same time are preparing for election campaign. They should realise that we have no other option but to get rid of Gen Musharraf before elections.”

Criticising the passage of the Protection of Women Bill in a hurry he observed that it was just an eyewash and in fact Gen Musharraf had amended the Hudood Laws to please the West.

He said the government could have waited for another year to enact the bill through a legitimate parliament. He said parliament should do legislation to check corruption, unemployment, price hike and law and order and to ensure education and health to the people of Pakistan.

“President Musharraf showed fists to the nation in his speeches while wearing commando uniform to teach lesson to extremists, but surrendered the sovereignty of the state on a single phone call from the US after 9/11. He chose salutation for the Pentagon and bombs for innocent tribal people and Afghanistan. Had their been a true leadership in the country the situation would have been much different,” he remarked.

He condemned the Bajaur incident and asked President Musharraf not to malign military by taking its responsibility, because it was undoubtedly a US action. He said after the statement of Gen Musharraf that the Pakistani military had conducted the whole operation, many innocent soldiers lost lives in the Dargai suicide attack.

Imran Khan said that solution to the problems of Pakistani people lay in independence of judiciary, declaration of education and employment emergency and bringing real tax reforms by making 90 pert cent direct recoveries from the rich.

Secretary general of the TIP, Admiral Javed Khan alleged that the earlier military dictators gave away three out of five rivers to India and their followers divided Pakistan.

Source: Dawn

PTI to launch civil disobedience movement

HYDERABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh chapter president Zubair Khan announced here on Friday that his party would launch a civil disobedience movement after its anti-government public mobilisation campaign.

Addressing a news conference at the press club, he said PTI chief Imran Khan would start a visit to Sindh on Dec 2 as part of the public mobilisation drive and would be in Hyderabad on Dec 3.

He said that after addressing a public meeting in Karachi, the party chief would arrive in Hyderabad to lead rallies and public meetings, adding that a public meeting would be held in Hyderabad whether or not the district government gave permission for it.

Khan said the federal, provincial and district governments have failed to address the problems of the citizens. He added that the local government system has failed in the country, especially in Sindh, where people are deprived of basic necessities of life.

He said civic life has been disturbed through development works and ill- planning is resulting in difficulties for the citizens. Roads are in a poor condition in Hyderabad and other parts of the province, he said.

Khan said the PTI wanted to form a combined opposition, but the opposition is not united.

Source: The News

PTI launches drive against Musharraf

The Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf will continue its struggle till the removal of the Musharraf government. This was stated by PTI chairman and MNA Imran Khan while addressing public gatherings at Mazdoor Pully, Railway Road and Jogi Chowk here on Saturday.

The PTI chief said the movement against the government had been launched while contacts with other political parties were being made to rid the country of the present rulers.

He said the PTI would alone continue its efforts in case the ARD or the MMA did not extend any cooperation.

Mr Khan said the party would divert its energies towards the rural areas after its mass campaign in urban areas.

To safeguard his position, he alleged that President Pervez Musharraf had allowed the US army to bombard Bajaur. He said the killings of Pakistani jawans in Dargai were the reaction of the Bajaur incident.

Earlier, when he reached Katorwala Morr Imran Khan was accorded a warm welcome by the PTI leaders, including Muhammad Shafiq Khan, Nadeem Butt, Naseem Insari and Afzal Chaudhry. The PTI chief was accompanied by central secretary-general Air Marshal Syed Shahid Zulfiqar Ali (retired), deputy secretary-general admiral Javed Iqbal (retired), Punjab president Ahsan Rasheed, secretary-general Amin Zaki, information secretary Umar Sarfraz Cheema, Lahore president Shabbir Sial and others.

Meanwhile, the district management did not allow the PTI chief to address at the local football ground. The use of loudspeaker was also not allowed.

Earlier in the day, the PTI caravan left Lahore, marking the beginning of the anti-Musharraf drive.

Source: Dawn.com