LAHORE, May 18: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) will chalk out a strategy to counter President General Pervez Musharraf’s move to get re-elected from existing assemblies.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, ARD spokesman Munir Ahmad Khan criticised what he called an un-constitutional move by the general and said that ARD would finalise a strategy to counter the move when it met in London on July 2.

“There is no constitutional, legal and moral justification for the present assemblies to re-elect Musharraf for another term. How can an assembly, itself elected for a five-year term, elect a person as president for nine years?” he asked. He said there was no provision in the constitution allowing Gen Musharraf to contest for another term.

“An assembly can elect a new president for the remaining term if an incumbent president dies, resigns or (gets) impeached, as happens in the US. But, one assembly, under no circumstances, can elect two presidents for full terms. If this unfortunate precedent is set, it will open a Pandora’s box and everyone will be abusing it in future,” he warned.