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ONBOARD: Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto talks to media men aboard the plane en rout to Lahore from Dubai. |
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LAHORE, April 17 (Online): Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistan People's Party central leader, has said he still believes general elections in Pakistan will surely take place this year and the 'centres of powers' other than Gen Pervez Musharraf will guarantee the elections take place freely, fairly and transparently.
On board the Lahore-bound flight Zardari took from Dubai on Saturday, Zardari told Online that there were 'centres of power' other than the president in Pakistan that would prevent anyone from engineering elections to be held in 2005 for sure.
He said a government of national consensus should be installed after the elections.
Asif Zardari said a decision about President Gen Pervez Musharraf holding dual office would be made by the public representatives to be elected in 2005 polls.
He said, "I will have no objection to assembly's decision about uniformed president."
He said he strongly condemned the nationwide arrests of PPP activists and leaders who were to reach Lahore to receive him.
He claimed more than 70,000 party workers including women had been arrested by police so far across the country.
He termed president's doctrine of enlightened moderation a mere eyewash and said the moderate forces were being oppressed and dealt with sternly.
Zardari said his decision to settle in Punjab for politics was not aimed at PPPP parting ways with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in future.
He said, "We are determined to take everyone along in our struggle for restoration of democracy in Pakistan."
He said he would soon travel to Rawalpindi whether or not he got permission for the visit from the provincial government. "I will go to Pindi for sure 'come what may'."
He regretted on one hand, the rulers talked of conciliation with the PPP and on the other, party activists were being arrested and tortured.
Journalists accompanying Zardari detained, later released
Journalists accompanying Asif Ali Zardari from Dubai were detained and manhandled at Lahore Allama Iqbal Airport on Saturday morning upon arrival. They were released, however, after three hours of detention.
PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari arrived at Lahore International Airport at 7:10 am Saturday morning via a Aero Asia flight. He was whisked off by the law enforcing agencies along with other PPP leaders to Bilawal House 2.
A group of journalists accompanying Asif Ali Zardari were also taken into detention by the police in the lounge of the Lahore airport and asked to deposit their mobiles and lap tops with the police. The police said that these items would be returned to the journalist after a few days. However the journalists refused upon which the said items were snatched.
The journalists also staged a sit in protest of the detention.
The detained journalist include CPNE Secretary General Jabbar Khattak, Sohail Warriach of Geo TV, Khalid Qayyum of Daily Express, Managing Editor Sohail Iqbal, Amir Mir of Independent, Shoaib Bhutta, Editor Jinnah Wadood Qureshi, Tariq Chaudhry of Aaj TV, and representatives of British newspaper The Guardian and Khaleej Times.
The journalists were released at 10:30 am.
According to Online correspondent police also damaged the audio tapes of some journalists, which include BBC of Ejaz Mehr, and correspondents of Guardian.
Sp Mubin told detained journalists that he was issued specific orders by the ISI to hold the journalists and take their equipment into detentions for testing.
BB salutes party leaders, activists for showing exemplary courage
Benazir Bhutto, Chairperson Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) from Dubai telephoned her detained party leaders asking them to keep their spirits high in this testing hour.
Talking to Ch Aitzaz Ehsan, Fahmida Mirza, Abdul Sattar Bachani, Nawab Taimur Khan Talpur she said, "The era of incumbent government is about to set, I salute your courage and patience you have shown that PPP will never kneel before a tyrant."
She said whenever PPP will assume the power the Police officials who have carried out injustices with PPP activists they will be punished.
The time is not far when we will start our historic agitation campaign against the government, she held.
Meanwhile Nawab Talpur in a telephonic press conference said that Lahore police have started a new tradition of suppression and it will be hard nut to crack for the government. We are ready to render any kind of sacrifice on the order of Benazir Bhutto, she held.
While Ch Aitzaz Ehsan and Fahimida Mirza told newsmen that April 16 will be remembered in the history of the country as a black day when state machinery tortured peaceful activists of a political group.
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