NEW YORK, Oct 28: Asma Jehangir, Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, observed on Friday that if free and fair elections are held in Pakistan next year the ruling coalition of PML (Q) and the MMA would lose which could lead to the ouster of President Pervez Musharraf by the army.

“In the present fragile political scenario army will not risk losing power to political parties as it will lose its hold on the financial resources of the country hence a free and fair elections were not a real possibility’, she told a gathering of Pakistanis at an event organised by a group of women rights activists in New York.

She said that in order to assure people of its sincerity in holding fair elections the government should allow the leaders of the mainstream political parties to come back to Pakistan and participate in the elections. She asserted that a political process should continue and the people should be allowed to vote out any government they believe has not served their interests. “Primacy of rule of law and democracy should be established”, she added.

On the much heralded economic reforms in Pakistan, Ms Jehangir noted that one third of Pakistani population lives below poverty lines, and they have not benefited from the economic boom. Conceding that some sections of population have benefited from the economic reforms but felt it was limited to very few.

On the issue of Balochistan and the government’s bid to establish its writ against the tribal rule, she pointed out that while in north and south Waziristan government had compromised with the elders allowing full freedom to the tribal lords it had refused to give the same rights to the Baluchi leaders.

About the role of judiciary, she said that the judiciary in Pakistan has failed the people and has not been effective in protecting people’s rights.

Ms Jehangir who is in New York to attend a United Nations meeting is expected to travel to Washington next week to meet with Bush administration officials there. She is expected to call on Washington to support the democratic forces in Pakistan.