March 18, 2002	Monday	Muharram 3, 1423

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NOWSHERA, March 17: The Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) has expressed no confidence in Chief Election Commissioner Irshad Hassan Khan, saying that all the religious and political parties have rejected the appointee of President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

Speaking at a convention of the party workers here on Sunday, JI Deputy General-Secretary Fareed Ahmad Paracha demanded that the government hold the coming general-election under the supervision of an impartial election commission.

He accused the government of using unfair means to bring the “king’s party” into power. He said major religious and political parties had already renounced the appointment of the chief election commissioner.

Mr Paracha remarked that the state-run electronic media was giving undue projection to the “king’s party” and that the government had given a free hand to its favourites to run their election campaign.

President Musharraf wanted to make Pakistan a secular state to please the United States and other Western countries, he observed and said the government had failed to improve law and order and to control the price hike.

He announced that the JI would organize a public meeting in Rawalpindi on March 23. The party chief, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, would address the meeting.