KARACHI, July 10: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman has categorically stated that General Pervez Musharraf is not acceptable to the opposition and any move to re-elect him as president with or without uniform would be resisted tooth and nail.

“Military interventions and army’s involvement in politics can be stopped once and for all only when politicians will organize themselves and take along masses,” he said.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is also Secretary General of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, was speaking at the Meet The Press programme of the Karachi Press Club on Monday.

He highlighted the pressing internal and external problems being faced by the country and said that the only way out was departure of the military rulers and restoration of powers to elected representatives of masses.

He observed that it had become a tradition in our country that movements were launched against a ruler but a dictator would take over the country again and people would have to pay a heavy price. In this context, he referred to the East Pakistan debacle following the martial law imposed by Gen Ayub Khan, Gen Yahya Khan.

After a few years of civilian rule, he pointed out, the nation was put under a new military dictatorship, he added.

“There is a thinking in the armed forces that the country must remain under army’s control be it a military government or a civilian set up in-charge of the affairs. The military leadership is not ready to tolerate a set up beyond its control.”

The Maulana expressed his happiness over the consensus evolved by all opposition forces on bringing an end to military interventions. “We do not have grudge against army… it is our army… it is a national institution which deserves honour, respect and prestige. But it would continue to enjoy the respect and prestige only if stayed away from politics and maintained its constitutional status.”

Describing the present set up as contrary to the dictates of the 1973 Constitution, he said there was immense unrest in the country because of this kind of governance and a system that was no different from a dictatorship and presidential system where powers were vested with an individual.

“A democratic state is represented by its parliament, assemblies and local body councils, but this state is represented by the GHQ and the military leadership is being portrayed as an indispensable element of the government.”

Maulana Fazlur Rehman deplored that the United States and its western allies, which had always been giving lessons of democracy and human rights, were using force everywhere to achieve their objectives and justifying their act of aggression in Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries where they had resorted to committing serious human rights violations.

The brutalities with captives at Bagram, Abu Gharib and Guantanamo Bay jails were enough to prove their double standards viz-a-viz democracy and human rights, he added.

Ridiculing Gen Musharraf’s move for the release of some women facing charges under Hudood Ordinance, he asked: “What about the countless people languishing in jails without trial… and those kept in secret lock-ups… the government would never have an answer when asked by a court about their whereabouts?”

The MMA leader said that in Waziristan, over 80,000 troops had been deployed on US order. He warned that the armed forces were risking resistance by conducting raids on citizens’ homes pushing them to the wall. He said the MMA and other opposition forces were opposed to the use of force from day one and had always called for a peaceful solution to any problem besides offering their cooperation.

In reply to a question, he said that in view of Gen Musharraf’s retracting from his promise of shedding his military uniform, political parties were seriously pondering over a movement against the present set up so that the country could be put on the road to democracy.

He said Gen Musharraf had failed to make the country economically strong and also did not come up to the expectations of people. Therefore, he must quit now and transfer power to elected representatives.

Earlier, KPC President Ghazi Salahuddin welcomed the guest whereas Secretary Najeeb Ahmad conducted the programme.

Chairman of APNEC Karachi Zakir Ansari and others briefed Maulana Fazlur Rehman about the plight of press workers due to the non-implementation of the 7th Wage Award for the newspaper industry.