Political activists, lawyers stage protest demo
Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—Political activists, lawyers, students, workers and ordinary citizens held a protest rally and sit-in at Aabpara Chowk to reiterate the demand for Pervez Musharraf and his government to resign, a complete withdrawal of the army from politics, restoration of the pre-November 3rd judiciary.
The protestors vociferously chanted slogans against the regime and vowed to continue the agitation in the immediate aftermath of elections on February 18.
Speaking on the occasion, Aasim Sajjad of the People’s Rights Movement (PRM) said that the situation in the country is completely insecure as none cansay for sure whether elections will take place and what will happen if they do.
He said that the establishment is no longer able to predict the outcome of the election and therefore there is a chance that it will create conditions to prevent them from happening or to rig them extensively. He said that in either case the acute crises that are gripping the country will continue to get worse, all so that General Musharraf and the military top brass can maintain their monopoly over state affairs.
He said that the military has always claimed to be the saviour of the nation but it is now clear to ordinary Pakistanis that it is singularly responsible for the country’s myriad problems.
Speaking on the occasion Jamil Abbasi said that the situation facing working people in Pakistan is so bad that there is a genuine danger of fragmentation.
He said that the government’s first and foremost priority is to ensure that the people of Pakistan are guaranteed all of their basic rights including the right to life.
He said that the incoming government will also be held to the same standards and vowed to continue the struggle until a genuine pro-people dispensation is installed.