International   

Musharraf hoodwinking nation, say parties

Nirupama Subramanian

PPP leader says statement amounts to rubbing salt in the wounds of the people

ISLAMABAD: Opposition parties in Pakistan criticised President Pervez Musharraf's address to the nation as "disappointing" and "a failed bid to hoodwink the people" on issues of domestic importance.

In an address on Thursday night that covered international, regional and national issues, Gen. Musharraf devoted much time trying to give reasons for the increase in the cost of living, the power cuts that have caused unrest in Karachi, how much the Government already spends on subsidies and how it had kept inflation under control. The Opposition Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy, in which Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party and Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League are the main constituents, has been critical of the Government for what it calls an anti-poor budget, rising unemployment and other economic ills.

Major themes

These are major themes of its campaign for the removal of the Musharraf regime.

Gen. Musharraf made comparisons between Pakistan's economic performance pre and post 1999, the year he captured power from Mr. Sharif in a coup, and said the economy had done much better in the last seven years than before that.

In a statement, senior PPP leader Farhatullah Babar said Gen. Musharraf's unsuccessful bid to justify inflation and load shedding as proof of increase in income and industrialisation amounted to rubbing salt in the wounds of people.

Liaquat Baloch of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a constituent of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, described the speech as "mere rhetoric." He said Gen. Musharraf had failed to address the real demand of the people, which was an end to the role of the military in politics.

Mr. Babar, who is also the spokesperson for Ms. Bhutto, said the real causes of inflation were "wasteful expenditure" by the Government on "unproductive projects."

Citing the development of a new GHQ in Islamabad and the purchase of the Swedish AWACS aircraft as examples of wasting money, he said it should have been spent on poverty alleviation and creating jobs. "To talk of national unity in such a situation is an affront to the sensibilities of the people," he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Israel threatens invasion
Battered Lebanon counts the cost
Resolution on Iran moved in U.N.
LTTE firm on monitors
Nepal talks on interim constitution
Musharraf hoodwinking nation, say parties
China world's third biggest food donor
Khmer Rouge leader dies
Thai poll set for Oct. 15
Pakistan: India rehashing charge

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu