HYDERABAD, Dec 26: The APDM Hyderabad Chapter will hold a public meeting on Friday to convince people to boycott January 8 elections. The meeting will be addressed, among others, by the APDM Chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Qazi Hussain Ahmed.

Jamaat-i-Islami leader Abdul Waheed Qureshi told a news conference at the press club that the so-called general elections were aimed at legitimising the rule of Pervez Musharraf to complete American agenda.

He said no less than 21 parties of the APDM had launched a movement for reinstatement of judges of superior judiciary and to foil American aim of enslaving people of Pakistan.

He said Musharraf and his American agents who ruled for eight years had destroyed institutions of the country and created lawlessness, price hike and unemployment, along with gagging media.

The APDM had created awareness which was evident from the unwillingness of candidates to spend money on elections, he said adding the lacklustre campaign was in evidence.

He said even Ms Benazir Bhutto was disappointed of the low turnout during her Hyderabad meeting, after the lapse of nine years.

He said meetings at Quetta and other places proved lack of interest of people in fraud elections. He alleged that seats had been allocated to parties joining hands with the government and king’s party.

Tens of thousands of people came on streets when the Chief Justice was suspended but hundreds fail to attend election meetings which reflect the public mood, he said.

Waheed Qureshi said all nationalist parties had joined the APDM which would make a difference and urged the people to reject pro-American policies of Musharraf by boycotting elections.

Sindh Taraqi Passand Party leader Muzaffar Kalhoro said transparent elections were impossible with judges of superior judiciary under house arrest, caretaker governments and election commission partisan, and media in chains.

He said Pervez Musharraf admitted that had he not dismissed the CJP, he himself would have been dismissed. Musharraf imposed himself as President by force and not through votes he said adding 160 million people of the country will never accept such elections.

Saleem Tareen of Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party said rulers were ridiculing the role of regional parties as their unity was capable of bringing about revolution.

JOINS: A candidate for PS-47 Qasimabad Hyderabad, Noor Hassan Daudani Baloch, his community members and two dozen other people had announced of joining the PPP.

He said during a news conference at the press club on Wednesday that he had withdrawn in favour of PPP candidate from PS-47, Zahid Ali Bhurgari, ex-MPA.

Zahid Ali Bhurgari and large number of local PPP leaders including Mir Fateh Talpur, Aftab Khanzada, Mehboob Abro, Nazim UC-2 Qasimabad, naib nazim, Imam Ali Ansari, president Shopkeepers Association Qasimabad, Rasool Bux Shaikh and others were also present on the occasion.

Zahid Ali Bhurgari said people were coming into the fold of PPP as this was the only party which could end unemployment and eliminate price hike.