KARACHI, Oct 31: Pakistan People’s Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto said on Wednesday that her party would not support imposition of emergency and reversal of the process for transition to democracy.

Ms Bhutto also rejected the inquiry commission set up by the provincial government to investigate the Oct 18 terrorist attack on her rally.

She was addressing a news conference at the Bilawal House after postponing her visit to Dubai to announce decisions taken by the party’s Central Executive Committee and Federal Council. She, however, said she might go abroad before the Nov 9 public meeting in Rawalpindi.

“If emergency is imposed people will come out and resist it,” Ms Bhutto said, while expressing concern over the situation in Balochistan and tribal areas of the NWFP where extremism and terrorism had surged to a dangerous level, “threatening the very foundation of the country.”

She said that this was the direct result of dictatorship that had given rise to extremism and militancy, and regretted that even the defenders of the country were not safe.

Ms Bhutto also read out some of the resolutions adopted by the Central Executive and Federal Council.

One of the resolutions welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of the Oct 18 Karachi carnage and claimed that it was a vindication of the party’s position that the inquiry undertaken by the government was inept, inadequate and devoid of scientific and forensic contents.

It also rejected the inquiry commission headed by a retired High Court Judge and constituted by the government of Sindh. Ms Bhutto, however, said the resolution was not against the retired judge.

Through the resolution, the PPP demanded that a Pakistan-led police inquiry, assisted by foreign forensic experts, be constituted.

Ms Bhutto called for seeking help from the FBI or the Scotland Yard.

She told a questioner that the Supreme Court’s verdict on the issue of President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s eligibility to contest the presidential election must be accepted by the people regardless of what the court ruled. She, however, cautioned against taking any step that would retard the process of transition to democracy. It would not be accepted, she declared.

This meeting also expressed confidence in Ms Bhutto’s leadership and the political initiative taken by her to bring about a peaceful transition to democracy. The meeting also praised her decision “to return to the country at the risk of her own life and personally lead the peaceful movement for transition to democracy which has given the party fresh determination to fulfill its goals”.

It reaffirmed the party's basic programme of ‘Roti, Kapra Aur Makan’ while discussing salient features of the party manifesto.

The meeting also expressed its full confidence in her as the party's nominee for the post of prime minister for the third time.

The meeting which took stock of the current political situation in the country took serious notice of acrimonious statements of some federal ministers and considered them to be contrary to the spirit of national reconciliation.

Ms Bhutto reiterated her party’s concerns and reservations on the voters’ list and said PPP was not satisfied with the present status. Referring to Nadra’s list of 72 million voters and 2007 list of 55 million, Ms Bhutto called for merging the two to eliminate duplication. She also called for feeding data of 2002 electoral lists into computers.

She said the elements who were opposed to free and fair elections were opposing her demand because that would obstruct ballot rigging.

Ms Bhutto said that measures which were necessary for making the electoral process transparent had not been taken so far. She declared that the nation would not accept the status quo because this system had increased the sense of insecurity and increased poverty and unemployment.

Ms Bhutto, who was accompanied by party’s top leadership, also slammed the government for the soaring wheat price and its shortage. She put the blame for it on anti-people policies of the regime and expressed fears that due to wrong procurement policies of the government there would be shortage of over three million tonnes of wheat in future.

About her planned public meeting in Rawalpindi on Nov 9, Ms Bhutto expressed the hope that the Punjab government would not do anything against directives of the federal government because both were led by the PML-Q.

“We hope they will not act contrary to the NRO which has been signed by Gen Pervez Musharraf,” she said. She also stressed the need for a level-playing field for everyone.