"The dictator has shown his real colour to the people of Pakistan. He is destroying the civil society by putting restrictions on the print and electronic media and destroying the judiciary by imposing the PCO.
He is imposing restrictions on the educated class of the society in the name of controlling militancy and he is also deceiving the west by claiming that he is fighting against the militants.
Present interim government is a puppet of Musharraf and in the presence of this government free, fair and transparent elections will not be possible. He is an incompetent and greedy dictator," said Human rights activist Asma Jahangir in a press conference here on Saturday after the authorities released her.
About her meeting with Benazir, she said she briefed her about her meetings with the government. "We will support any one who agrees on free media, independent judiciary, and restoration of democracy and reversal in amendments in army act and government of consensus. We wish that Benazir will lead the movement and part ways with the government," she added. "We are also in contact with Nawaz Sharif, Asfand Yar Wali Khan and leaders of other political parties that they should unite for the restoration of democracy and rights of the civil society."
She also criticised the government for banning ARY and Geo Television Network channels and praised their role in supporting the civil society against the unconstitutional decisions. She also condemned the way the government treated the judges and senior lawyers after it arrested them and disallowed their family members to meet them. She also condemned the solitary confinement of Supreme Court Bar Association President Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Munir A Malik, Tariq Mahmood and Ali Ahmad Kurd. lawyers were being treated like terrorists, she added.
"This is simply unacceptable to us. We urge the media to highlight the police action inside the High court and torture of lawyers. We have launched our struggle on our own. We are not like political parties, which aspire for power and ministries," she said.
She condemned the arrests of human rights activists in the different parts of the country, protesting the emergency. "Musharraf has turned the peaceful youth of Balochistan into terrorists," she said.
She also condemned the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan and his sisters and urged political parties to realise the gravity of the situation and launch a movement on the pattern of lawyers to restore democracy, the independence of the judiciary and the independence of the press and media.