July 25, 2006	Tuesday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 28, 1427

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LAHORE, July 24: Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi started his second three-year tenure as provincial president of the ruling PML on Monday, pledging that his party would get Gen Musharraf elected as president-in-uniform for another “two terms.”

“We’ll elect Gen Musharraf not for one but two terms as president-in-uniform,” he said in his 35-minute address to the party’s general council, which met at the Alhamra Art Centre instead of the Pakistan Muslim League House because of rains.

Before the address, the party’s election authority chairman declared the chief minister as unopposed president and Chaudhry Zaheeruddin as secretary-general. Federal and provincial ministers, MNAs, MPAs, various district nazims and party officials were present at the meeting.

The chief minister’s reiteration that Gen Musharraf would be re-elected in uniform for two more terms becomes more significant in view of a letter written a couple of days ago by a number of political leaders, including some from the ruling party, former ministers and generals urging the president to take off his military uniform.

One of the co-signatories to the letter, Senator SM Zafar, was sitting in the first line of the leaders on the stage when the chief minister made the announcement amid applause by a packed hall.

Interestingly, some resolutions adopted by the participants did talk of re-electing Gen Musharraf as president from the present assemblies, but they were silent on the question of uniform. It was the chief minister who talked of the uniform and two more terms for the president, apparently oblivious of the constitutional provision that like prime minister the president too could not be elected a third time.

Undeterred by opposition’s threats that their legislators would resign to thwart Gen Musharraf’s bid for re-election, the chief minister said in such an eventuality the term of the assembly could be extended. He believed that threats would never be carried out and the opposition leaders would continue to hurl threats and at the same time receive their salaries and allowances from the exchequer.

Pervaiz Elahi said the government was in a position to face any situation created by the opposition, and better people would be elected on the seats to be vacated by their members.

The chief minister said he had done so much for the development of the province in all sectors during the past three years that people would vote for the PML in the next elections. Unlike the opposition parties which had nothing to offer to the electorate except threats of resignations, Pervaiz Elahi said he was proud of his performance which would speak louder than the hollow words of his opponents.

The chief minister recalled almost all important steps he had taken over the past three years, and said the pace of development would be expedited as the elections got nearer. He said he was aware of the needs of all areas, especially the southern Punjab, and would execute such projects which would help steer them out of backwardness.

He severely criticised the exiled leadership of the PML-N for ‘leaving the party workers’ in lurch and finding a sanctuary for themselves in a foreign country. He said when the PML-N had launched a movement against the Benazir government, workers were much ahead of the leadership. But, he regretted, when the leadership faced a rather difficult situation, it abandoned all supporters and flew abroad along with their servants.

The chief minister said it was Shujaat Husain who formed the party afresh and made it a strong political force. He said stronger people would be brought to the fore in areas where the party had lost the previous elections.

A resolution empowered the provincial president to make appointments to complete the provincial organisation. A list of general council members prepared by him was also approved.

Resolutions were adopted to condemn Israel’s aggression against Lebanon and Palestine, to eulogise the policies and services of President Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and the Punjab chief minister.

A resolution criticised the opposition for its ultimatum to the government to step down by a set date and their alleged plan to block the democratic process.

Ministers Raja Basharat, Arshad Khan Lodhi, Mian Imran Masood, Kamil Ali Agha and party leaders Mian Abdus Sattar, Rai Mansab Ali Khan, Begum Mehnaz Rafi and Shahana Farooqi moved resolutions on various subjects.