LAHORE, March 27: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy has urged democratic forces in the world to exert pressure on the army government for restoration of democracy and Constitution and holding of general elections in a free, fair and transparent manner.

In a letter to the secretaries general of the United Nations, European Union, Commonwealth, Saarc and other world bodies, Western diplomats and editors of the national dailies, ARD deputy information secretary Munir Ahmad Khan said democratic forces had well founded apprehensions about the fairness of October elections because of the experience in the last local councils polls “which were not free, fair and transparent.”

He alleged that senior government functionaries, including the corps commanders, had committed irregularities at large scale to ensure election of favourite candidates in the LB polls, while the preparations being undertaken for the October elections appeared to be highly questionable.

Delimitation of constituencies, which was the exclusive responsibility of the Election Commission under the law, had been done by the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB), he claimed.

Mr Khan said Gen Musharraf was also desiring to amend the Constitution and induct military top brass into the civil government, under the cover of the Supreme Court judgment validating the October 12, 1999, army takeover.

“Politicians and constitutional experts question the authority of the Supreme Court to confer extra constitutional authority on the chief executive to amend the Constitution, which provides procedure for amendment by the parliament alone,” he said.

About the proposed referendum, he said Gen Musharraf should follow the constitutional procedure to become president for next five years. “Any other method, including referendum, for the purpose will be unconstitutional.”

Filling the president’s office through a referendum before the polls would mean that the result of the elections would also be manipulated, he argued.

Mr Khan also criticized the “unnecessary” increase in the number of seats in the national as well as provincial assemblies, adding induction of technocrats and women into parliament was aimed at creating a support base for Gen Musharraf.

He regretted that only leaders of the ‘king’s parties’ were given exposure over state-run electronic media, while police were under instructions to accord special facilities and privileges to them.

The “Khushal Pakistan” programme for the uplift of common man was being spent through pro-government people, he claimed, adding the king’s parties were also free to hold political activities, while the others were denied the facility.

The National Accountability Bureau had also been instructed to institute cases against the anti-government politicians, he alleged. “The judges who sit in accountability courts are under instructions to ensure conviction of politicians and their eventual disqualification.”

The announcement of Gen Musharraf to keep former premiers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif out of the political process would undermine the concept of transparent polls because these actions amounted to pre-election rigging, he said.

The government functionaries were managing to make political alliances against the PPP and the PML(N) instead of taking steps to ensure full transfer of power to the people through a fair, free and transparent polls.

He pointed out that Asif Zardari was bailed out in all the cases but to keep the “popular leadership” under custody a “bogus” case was registered against him.

Mr Khan demanded that a neutral government should immediately be set up, leaders of all political parties be allowed to lead their respective parties, no amendment be effected to the constitution, and political activities be allowed to all political parties.

Monitoring teams from different countries and neutral observers must be allowed ahead of elections, he demanded, adding partisan administration should also be replaced.

Warning that the people would not accept the “rigged” and “manipulated” election results, he demanded vote count by judges rather than through centralized count.