Musharraf Promises Elections
But opposition leaders say a fair vote is impossible under emergency decree.
In his first press conference since he declared a state of emergency early this month, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Sunday set a date for general elections, saying the polls would be held no later than Jan. 9. The national and state assemblies would be dissolved on Nov. 20, he said, and caretaker administrations would govern the country until after the elections. Meanwhile, he stated his intent to remain a powerful president who would be "absolutely aboveboard and neutral" during the campaigning and voting.
Musharraf reiterated that he would resign from his powerful position as chief of army staff when he takes the oath of office for another five-year presidential term, probably later this month. Pakistan's Supreme Court, which is packed with pro-Musharraf judges, rules that he was legally reelected president in a controversial, indirect vote last October. "I shall take the oath of office as a civilian president as soon as possible," he said. In fixing an election date and promising to take off his uniform, both key demands of the United States other allied governments and of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, he was clearly making an attempt to defuse the heavy domestic and international criticism of his emergency decree and to reestablish some credibility. "This sets aside the aspersions, distortions and rumors [of people] doubting my intensions," he said.
Sounding resolute and tough, he firmly said he had no regrets for taking the hard line that made him increasingly unpopular at home and abroad. "I did right," said Musharraf, dressed in mufti, sporting an expensive blue suit, light blue shirt and dark tie. Declaring the emergency, which is akin to martial law, "was the most difficult decision I have ever taken in my life," he added. "It was indeed a bitter pill to swallow."
No matter how badly it tasted, Musharraf made it clear that he was not going to lift the decree anytime soon, making it clear that emergency rule would remain in place at least through the election. "There is no time limit on that," he said of the emergency. "Certainly the emergency is required to ensure peace and an environment conducive to elections in Pakistan."
Musharraf brushed away questions about how a free and fair democratic election can be held while his emergency decree has suspended constitutional guarantees, an independent judiciary and freedom of assembly. He pledged that most, if not all, of political detainees who number into the thousands and include key opposition politicians, organizers and activists, would be freed by polling time. "I expect all of them will get released and will be able to go into electioneering," he said. When asked how an election could be held under martial-law-like conditions, Musharraf's Deputy Information Minister Tariq Azim Khan said that past Pakistani elections have taken place in Pakistan during emergencies, for example, in 1971. The playing field will be level for all political parties Khan claimed. "The [emergency] rules apply equally, fairly with everyone who agrees to take part."
Such talk did not reassure a beleaguered and downtrodden opposition. It also raised the question whether anti-Musharraf parties would even bother to contest the election under the emergency decree. Ahsan Iqbal, the spokesman of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's party, said elections held under the emergency would be "fraudulent" as long as "thousands of opposition workers and leaders" are in jail and Sharif remains in exile in Saudi Arabia. Sherry Rehman, Bhutto's information secretary, complained that in the past few days "several thousand members" of her Pakistan People's Party have been arrested, and that 13 PPP women members of parliament were being held in prison under "utterly unhygienic" conditions and "spending torturous nights on ice-cold floors."
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Posted By: dr.shaukat.amanullah @ 11/14/2007 2:10:47 PM
Comment: Musharraf is riding a multi-horned dragon which consists of escalating inflation, unemployment, poverty and hyper-escalating population explosion (500 children an hour). Sectarian and linguistic conflicts, fundamentalist bloody upheivels in the North, nasty encounters with the judiciary and clergy, he has to keep the Army's morale up. I wonder how the brass is going to manage the dragon's flight. We plea to America to come to the front-line ally's help. Pakistanis are extremely de-moralised because of the uncertainities of the events. The way Musharraf handled Laal Masjid and Jamiya-e-Hafsa was a unique phenomenon in Pakistan's tragic history. We saw several hundred people evaporating in suicidal bombs etc. How the free world expects Pakistan to perform its herculean job of fighting terrorism? In our view, Musharraf has to digest the bitter accolade of judicial independence, removal of uniform, tolerance of opposition parties and absolute freedom to media. It is the ripest time for Army to start relying on civilian politicians. We must realise that the so-called "nuclear power" status that we are enjoying is no more than a nightmare. Nuclear power against whom? I wonder. Pakistan at this juncture needs a sacular, democratic system of government which although appears like a dream but with the help of our great ally, America, this can be achieved. "Enlightened moderates" who have the intellect to promulgate free and sacular ideologies be encouraged and brought to the upper stratas of our rulers. The multi-millionaire traders, manufacturers, industrialists, bankers and intellectuals are the people who can bring about this change. "Economic crunch" which directly hits the stomach is to be remedied by the people mentioned above. These selfish, callous and short-sighted classes are supposed to provide their labourers enough to keep them thriving. Our country is in dire need of changing into an industrial state instead of the thousands-of-years-old agrarian system. Because agrarian society is accumulating wealth and culture into a few traders' hands in the cities and these callous individuals mix the above-mentioned entities with religion and in-conivance with greedy religious clerics manipulate the destiny of the hundred and sixty million Pakistanis.
-Dr Shaukat Amanullah, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Posted By: shaista @ 11/14/2007 5:08:36 AM
Comment: Comments: "" Musharaf what Musharaf does "
Musharaf Promise Elections, he also promised to take off his uniform before December 31, 2004, Musharaf also promised that he will accept the decision of Supreme court for eligibility, but ............?
Musharaf promise that he will eliminate terrorism but expand
Musharaf promise the World that he will fight against terrorism, but he released the terrorist
Musharaf what Musharaf promised
How the US and international community belief on such person who has the said credential
How the world belief on such person who dash to ground what he oath
How the world rely on such person who promised his nation that he will remained a civilian president after December 31 ,2004 and still with uniform
How the US belief that he will safe guard the nuke, I think he will hand over to the terrorist for the sake of his power when he deem so
He does all what he can for the sake of power
We the world should to realized and analyse his past actions that how he selfish person, and what good be expect from
If a man not sincere with his nation or people how the other world expect
If he declared himself as moderate why the moderate (HRC, LAWERS, Politions and judges) are in jailed and why he released the terrorist
This is what moderations
One day the whole world will see an atomic bomb in the hand of Alqueda's during Mushraf' regim
And the Alqueda command or authority will be in the hand of Musharaf and he will annouced and promised that the world that you are now safe
He then compelled the world to support me other wise you will be bombing
Shaista Khan
shaistakhan6@hotmail.com
Posted By: ihsanfsd @ 11/14/2007 12:17:34 AM
Comment: Pervez Musharaf might well be a dicitator, but we must understand that there is a difference between being a dictator and being a dictator with a vision. His vision is to first educate the people about the meaning of democracy and their rights using media, But, unfortunately, that immature media indulged into yellow and sensational journalism rather than educating people about the challenges confronting Pakistan. For last many days, same media is portraying Benzir Bhutto, the ex-prime minister, as the champion and saviour of Pakistan and its democracy willfully oblivious of the fact that two terms of her rule in Pakistan were the most corrupt and the most haughty ones in the anals of this prepetually belaboured country.
I appeal to all Pakistanis to understand the critical situation we are facing. I ask you if our borders at Kasur or elsewhere are so tightly closed, and rightfully so, shouldn't they be closed at Wazirstan or elsewhere to plug infilteration and black businesses?