Nasrullah throws down the gauntlet

Veteran politician and head of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan has thrown down the gauntlet at Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf to formally join politics and find out what public support he really enjoys.

At a news conference in Khangarh, Nasrullah responded to harsh criticism by Musharraf against politicians when he said the politicians were useless people, they had played their innings and scored zero runs.

"I invite General Musharraf to take off his uniform and come to the political pitch and then we will see who scores a century and who gets out on a duck," Nasrullah said using the same cricket metaphors.

The ARD chief said that the people of Pakistan were not a regiment of the army that they can be tamed by orders. "Only politicians can organise public opinion," the Nawabzada said. He charged that the police misbehaved with his daughter-in-law and his grandson during raids at his house.

Adds Salahuddin Haider Our Karachi Correspondent:

The Nawabzada vowed to continue his struggle for the restoration of democracy. He told correspondents in Khangarh near Multan that political parties, associated with the alliance, will meet soon to discuss their line of action. The government, by suppressing the Labour Day rally of May 1 in Karachi, had actually lost face with the people.

"It did not have the courage to stand up to public pressure". The ARD will organise yet another rally at the time and place of its choosing, he said, as the alliance stood for the rights of the people and will carry on with its struggle to restore those rights to the citizens of Pakistan.

The veteran politician lamented that the government in order to block the rally last Tuesday, had lost its balance, and by preventing leaders of national stature to be in Karachi from Punjab and other provinces, had given credence to the impression that these leaders had become aliens in their own country.

"Do they require visa and passport to visit parts of their country? he asked. The government seems to be scared of its opponents, the Nawabzada said and announced that the alliance will challenge the government repression and violation of human rights in the suprme court of the country.