October 9, 2002	Wednesday	Sha’aban 2, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 8: The election activities reached zenith on Monday night and Tuesday as motorcades of different political parties kept moving in different city areas on last day of electioneering to muster people’s support for their candidates.

The authorities took a lenient view of the activity despite a ban on all kinds of processions, as motorcade joining different corner meetings were neither intercepted by the police nor was any case registered against anyone.

All the major roads of the capital witnessed several traffic jams at different points due to the motorcades of political parties, but no untoward incident took place any where in the city.

Hundreds of enthusiastic youths riding silencer-less motorbikes and carrying their party flags also remained on the roads throughout the night.

Since all the candidates intended to have maximum contact with the voters, it is estimated that 100 corner meetings have been held in and around the capital during the past 36 hours.

Speaking at more than 10 corner meetings on Monday and Tuesday, the PPP candidate for NA-48, Dr Babar Awan, said: “The worst propaganda launched by the government-sponsored parties against the PPP leadership clearly indicated that they are visualizing the landslide victory of the party.”

The publishing of anonymous advertisements in newspapers “is an immoral and illegal exercise aimed at defaming national leaders at the cost of public money, showing that the government cannot have an open dialogue and argument with the PPP”.

The PPP candidate for NA-49, Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, speaking at several corner meetings, lambasted the government for “running the campaign of loan defaulters and plunderers of the national wealth”.

He said the mass participation of the people in the election meetings of the party throughout the country “has horrified the rulers who, despite having made a lot of efforts, could not create hatred among the masses against the PPP leadership”.

Mr Bukhari said the people knew it well that only the PPP had an agenda for bringing the country back to the track of development and prosperity.

Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary, the PML-N candidate for NA-49, while speaking at corner meetings and holding talks with party workers and supporters, said, if voted to power and allowed to complete its term, his party would resolved all problems, particularly unemployment.

The PML-N candidate for NA-48, Syed Zafar Ali Shah, in his speeches, said his party had a comprehensive plan to eradicate all the ills from the society.

Malik Rab Nawaz Chaudhary, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf candidate for NA-49, speaking at corner meetings, said: “All the problems faced by the nation can be resolved with the improvement in our judicial system”. He pledged to recover all the looted money of the people if his party was voted to power.

Rao Javed Ali Khan, Pakistan Democratic Party candidate for NA-48, in his speeches, called upon the masses to “reject the agents of authoritarianism for a true and meaningful change in the country”.

Mian Mohammad Aslam, the MMA candidate for NA-48, in his speeches, said the six-party alliance had a programme that could bring a meaningful change in the life of the common man.