LAHORE: Rehman Malik, a PPP leader and advisor to Chairperson Benazir Bhutto, has said extremists are after their party leadership but the government is taking no serious steps to counter threats. He said security detail provided for PPP’s inter-city campaigning was not up to the mark and the mobile jammers were not operating effectively. In an exclusive interview with The Post, he said that the PPP chairperson was being provided C-grade security even though she was receiving threats every day. He also said that the expected rigging in the upcoming polls would damage the federation. He went on to say that PML-Q leaders chanted slogans of democracy but if they had truly wanted to see real democracy in the country, they should have signed the Charter of Democracy. PPP advisor for youth affairs Riaz Ahmad Sheikh was also present on the occasion. Rehman Malik who played a pivotal role in national reconciliation between the military and the PPP. Rehman Malik said the state was facing a lot of challenges while the administration had failed to counter them and extremism was increasing day by day, adding that if the PPP came to power, it would curb extremism in six months.
Rehman Malik said PPP was still organising its public meetings all around the country, as Benazir Bhutto had come back to fight for the rights of the people at all cost. He declared that Ms Bhutto had not struck a deal with President Musharraf to return home. He explained that the PPP chairperson was strongly against extremism, adding that wrong policies were to blame for the ongoing wave of extremism. He said that PPP was ready to face the challenge of eradicating extremism from the country. On the issue of rigging in the forthcoming polls, he said that the government should ensure free and fair elections and take measures against the use of government machinery in the election campaign, as it was no more a secret that Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was already enjoying the powers and protocol of a prime minister. He said that PPP had around 1,125 complaints, along with the proof, about the use of government machinery in the election campaign, adding that PPP had also developed its own plan to stop rigging.
He said the relations with President Pervez Musharraf were affected after he had turned down PPP demands including action against charges of pre-poll rigging, dissolution of district governments and removal of the ban on third-time premiership. He said that as far as Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) were concerned, the ball was in the President’s court, and PPP was just waiting for his response. He said the PPP wanted to develop CBMs with all the political parties, and was considering seat adjustment with PML-N and JUI-F.
Regarding constitutional amendments and the restoration of judges, Rehman Malik said that PPP had never opposed the movement for the reinstatement of judges, adding that the lawyers’ movement went hand in hand with them. He said that Ms Bhutto was the first political leader to talk to Justice Iftikhar, adding that PPP always favoured that the masses should have easy access to justice.
Rehman Malik said the PPP was not satisfied with the investigations into the Karsaz tragedy. He said the PPP forwarded 32 demands, including a foreign probe, to the government in order to arrest the culprits but the government did not respond positively. He said the progress in investigations was still a mystery because neither the government nor PPP had complete information about it. He said that PPP was still firm on its demand that the foreign investigators should be called to investigate the Karsaz tragedy so that the nation should know whether it was a suicide attack or a remote-controlled bomb explosion.
Responding to a question about the murder case of Mir Murtaza Bhutto, Rehman Malik said that the PPP would reopen the case after coming to power so that the real motives behind the murder could be revealed.
He said Murtaza’s murder was a conspiracy to end Benazir Bhutto’s reign, and the investigations were carried out under the supervision of then President Farooq Leghari. He said there were many hidden motives behind the incident and his party would bring out the real facts.
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