Archives

ISLAMABAD, March 13 (AFP) - Pakistan's key political parties Wednesday condemned President Prevez Musharraf's announcement that former premiers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif cannot stand in future elections as an attempt to undermine any return to full democracy.

By barring them, Musharraf is attempting to ensure victory for his own people who would endorse his plan to remain in power, said Tehmina Daultana, vice president of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (PML) party.

"What he is talking about is selection in which he has already designed his own position," she told AFP in response made by Musharraf during his current tour of Japan.

"Musharraf has said he would stay for five years, which shows that he already knows who are the people who are going to be elected and vote for him."

Daultana accused Musharraf of rigging last year's local government elections and demanded the setting up of a national coalition government and an independent election body to hold free and impartial elections.

Musharraf at a news conference in Tokyo Wednesday ruled out any possibility of Bhutto and Sharif being allowed to contest polls due to take place in national and provincial elections in October.

Responding to a question on whether he would allow the two to take part in the elections, Musharraf said: "Well, the answer is very short -- no."

Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party also angrily rejected Musharraf's stand and vowed that its self-exiled leader would return home and participate in the elections.

"All dictators in the past have also made similar tall claims. They discredit public representatives but when the people speak, they are swept away and confined to the dustbins of history," party spokesman Farhatullah Babar told AFP.

"Benazir will return to Pakistan and take part in the elections, no matter what the military dictator says or does," he added.

Bhutto, dismissed in 1996 by then president Farooq Leghari over alleged financial wrongdoings, left the country just before her conviction for corruption in 1998 and has been living in self-exile ever since.

Musharraf came to power after Sharif was ousted in a military coup in 1999.

The deposed former prime minister was exiled to Saudi Arabia in December 2000 after he struck a deal to commute a 21 years jail sentence for hijacking and tax evasion, in exchange for political silence.

Musharraf has said he will remain as leader after the polls in October.

The local press has speculated he might amend the constitution or hold a referendum to legitimize his rule if he considered it difficult to get parliamentary endorsement of his presidency.

"If I have a role to play, I will play that role, I will not hesitate to play that role, however, one has to find a constitutional answer to my playing this role," Musharraf told reporters.

"I would never do anything unconstitutional or against the dictates of the Supreme Court specifically. I will move within that and then decide when the time comes what my role is to be for Pakistan."

The country's top court has ordered Pakistan's return to democracy by October 2002 and allowed Musharraf to amend the constitution if necessary, without changing its fundamental character.

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager