PPP Vice Chairman and former speaker, National Assembly, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani said his party could not keep itself away from the legal fraternity, as the PPP leadership had joined lawyers rallies in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi and paid tributes to the journalists and lawyers.
Gilani said now it was the issue of whole nation to save the federation as the country might face 1971-like situation when East Pakistan was separated. Delivering his speech at District Bar Multan on Tuesday, he said that there was no justification to postpone the elections for a year.
When election could be held in riot-torn countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran why should it be put off in Pakistan, he added. He claimed that the Supreme Court was going to give a judgement on the prevailing situation but President General Pervez Musharraf made the Chief Justice non-functional.
Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani said that European Union and other countries had urged upon the Pakistan Government to hold free, fair and impartial elections and remove his uniform.
He admitted that politicians were equally responsible for inviting armed forces to rule the country. However, no political forces should endeavour for the supremacy of constitution, parliament, rule of law and restoration of true democracy. He said that sense of deprivation was developing among the smaller provinces in military rule. He said that there should be equal opportunities for smaller provinces to introduce their leadership.
First of all a Prime Minister who belonged to Balochistan was removed then a Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry was made non-functional. Earlier a prime Minister of Sindh Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged, Benazir Bhutto was removed twice. Such things had developed hatred among the smaller provinces against the federation and strengthened the secessionist forces.
He said that more than 45 million people were living below the poverty line but General Pervez Musharraf was glimpsing the nation from a pair of rose tinted spectacles and he cannot see the poor. Muazzama Hasnain Advocate, Malik Irshad Rasul, Habib-ullah Shakir, Muhammad Akram Bhatti, President of Bar also spoke on the occasion.