HYDERABAD, Feb 6: Secretary General of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy Zafar Iqbal Jhagra has said that political parties should not repeat the mistake of taking part in general elections under President Gen Pervez Musharraf as he has become a party by addressing public meetings of the Pakistan Muslim League.

He said that if the multi-party conference (MPC) decided for a boycott, then the opposition parties would boycott elections and launch a struggle and the government would not be in a position to hold elections.

He said that the MPC would be held sometime in March and it was not the question as to who should host the conference.

He was talking to newsmen at Sindh Taraqqi-Pasand Party house on Tuesday after meeting STP Chairman Dr Qadir Magsi to seek his proposals for preparing a joint declaration of the MPC. Mr Jhagra was accompanied by PML-N senior vice-president Mamnoon Hussain, acting Sindh president Saleem Zia and Makhdoom Shahnawaz.

Mr Jhagra said that time was ripe for all political parties and members of the civil society to devise a collective strategy for the future. He said that the political parties had responded to Nawaz Sharif's call for the MPC with a positive frame of mind and given useful suggestions.

He said the parties agreed that the MPC must be held but PML-N was disappointed that such an important event would be organised in a place other than Pakistan.

He said that it was due to the fact that despite tall claims by the rulers that people enjoyed fundamental rights, situation was contrary as the parliament had become a rubber-stamp and one man's word had become constitution and law of the land.

He said that existing parliament had negated basic essence of democracy by electing a uniformed individual as president who was reluctant to attend parliamentary session in violation of constitutional provision which made it mandatory that a parliamentary year should begin with the address of head of the state.

He said that had there been democracy in Pakistan, no one would have prevented Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto from returning to their country.

He said that the MPC was being organised in a country whose policies were not in favour of the opposition but democracy was functioning there.

He further said that PML-N leaders had called on various political leaders, including Sher Baz Khan Mazari, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, Rasool Bux Palijo and Mumtaz Bhutto and found their response encouraging.

Answering a question, he said the PPP and the PML-N were committed to charter of democracy and whoever was found backtracking would be at loss. He said there were some issues which would be resolved.

He added that who should play host to MPC was no more an issue.Answering questions about elections under president Musharraf and statement of Makhdoom Amin Faheem that opposition had contested in 2002 elections under the same president, he said “if it has been assumed that we had committed mistake then it is not necessary to repeat it. We had participated in the elections to counter martial law but subsequent local bodies’ elections were rigged and the constitution was violated”.

He said that despite being an ally in the Balochistan government, the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal had played the role of opposition there.

He said that Nawaz Sharif would return with the announcement of the election schedule.

Dr Magsi said that the STP had given its proposals, calling for a new constitution because the constitution of 1973 had become ineffective.