'50,000 activists of PTI will join long march'

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Multan on Monday announced its all out participation in the lawyers' long march for the reinstatement of sacked judges scheduled on March 12. Talking to newsmen here, Muhammad Salim Bukhari, District president said that party's central executive committee (CEC), had decided to join lawyers in their protest.
"Our 50,000 activists would join the long march onto the Constitution Avenue for a sit-in," he said. He suggested that lawyers' leadership should consult all political forces that are supporting the reinstatement of the judiciary to ensure harmony of objectives and strategy.
Bukhari criticised the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) government for 'continuing' the policies of former president Pervez Musharraf's regime. He said the judges who supported Musharraf's unconstitutional steps were still in office. He said the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) was a major hurdle for President Asif Ali Zardari to undo Musharraf's unconstitutional steps and reinstating sacked chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. He called upon the government to restore the judiciary to its position on November 2, 2007 to save the country from falling further into political turmoil.
Salim said the government was paving the way for undemocratic forces. "The security and economic challenges confronting the nation demand an inspirational and bold leadership," he said. He emphasised that the country could not survive adhering to failed policies and politics of expediency, suggesting the only way to come out of the current crises was a mid-term election under an independent judiciary.
The PTI district president said the worsening security situation in the country, particularly in the Tribal Areas and Swat, demands urgent attention. "The PPP-led government is seeking peace through war, which is a continuation of Musharraf's policy. Reinforcing them would only lead to disaster," he maintained. Bukhari said a PTI delegation would visit the restive Swat valley soon and would try to engage militants in dialogue for restoring peace in the area, adding the military operations had only added to the people's misery.