July 25, 2002	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 14,1423

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ISLAMABAD, July 24: Pakis-tan People’s Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto on Wednesday welcomed Commonwealth Secretary-General Don Mckin-non’s decision to send an election observer team as a “good first step” to force the Musharraf regime to abide by democratic principles and allow a free and fair election on Oct 10.

In a statement issued here by PPP media cell, the former prime minister said: “We welcome the Commonwealth’s decision to send an election observer team to Pakistan. We urge Secretary-General Don Mckinnon to dispatch a team with greater on-site monitoring capacity than previous Commonwealth observer groups.”

“The Musharraf regime has shown little interest in returning democracy and the rule of law to Pakistan. The extent of this regime’s tampering with the electoral, civil and constitutional foundations of Pakistan’s democracy is astounding.”

She said the implementation of the opposition’s proposals for electoral reform, including replacement of politically motivated officials, was necessary for transparent elections.

“The PPP will continue to urge other independent and credible observers from the world to monitor those critical elections deciding Pakistan’s future direction.”