SUKKUR, March 4: The People's Party Parliamentarians has called upon Gen Musharraf to step down to pave way for democracy in the country.

Speaking at a big public meeting of the party here on Thursday, party leaders demanded formation of an independent election commission under a caretaker government to hold general elections in 2005.

The public meeting called upon all liberal political parties to get united on a platform to form a democratic, enlightened and liberal Pakistan. Former senator Islamuddin Shaikh, who recently joined the PPP and Ghulam Qadir Bhutto, a founder member of the party arranged the public meeting.

Sindh PPP president Syed Qaim Ali Shah, general secretary Nafees Siddiqui, Islamuddin Shaikh, MNAs and MPAs spoke on the occasion. It was one of the biggest public meetings in the history of Sukkur city in which thousands of people participated and demanded restoration of democracy.

The meeting strongly opposed construction of Kalabagh dam, Thal canal and any army operation in Balochistan and termed the policies against integrity and solidarity of the country.

The speakers said there was no deal underway between the PPP and the government but on the contrary the party was trying to liberate the people of Pakistan from clutches of an army dictator. They said after Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Syria, other Islamic countries were also endangered due to non-liberal governments and Pakistan could face such dangers in absence of democracy.

They claimed there was no rule of law in the country especially in Sindh as ministers and other persons in the government were alleging each other of corruption. Syed Qaim Ali Shah demanded that Sindh chief minister and Imtiaz Shaikh should be arrested and tried by the National Accountability bureau.

He said when the government was formed by the ISI and other intelligence agencies then such things take place often. He said the army was responsible for keeping vigilant eye over borders and they were not supposed to run administration and business.

Slamming the appointment of retired and in service army personnel in the Sindh government, he said, in this way rightful persons were deprived of their rights. Nafees Siddiqui said whenever army takes control extremist elements come forward to join hand with them which was quite against larger interest of the country.

He said Gen Musharraf had hijacked the country and the PPP was trying to relieve the people safely from his custody and the party's struggle would continue till the people were freed.

He said Benazir Bhutto was negotiating with dictators only to install a liberal and truly democratic government in the country. Shafqat Shah Mousavi, Rai Naz Bozdar, Ghulam Mustafa Bozdar, Dr Arshad Mughal, Shafi Mohammad Chandio and Jam Saifullah Dharejo also spoke on the occasion.