ISLAMABAD, Jan 19: The Election Commission has decided to keep itself out of the debate over the controversy of re-election of President Pervez Musharraf and expiry of his tenure.

“No, we have no comments to offer,” Election Commission Secretary Kanwar Mohammad Dilshad told Dawn when asked to clarify the position.However, he said the commission would remove the confusion over the controversy pretty soon, when the time came.

“The commission is failing in its constitutional duty by not stepping in to remove the ambiguity,” said a political analyst.

The controversy was sparked when Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani told reporters on Wednesday that the federal cabinet had decided to re-elect President Musharraf for a fresh term from the present assemblies between Sept 15 and Oct 15 this year.

The debate took a new dimension when the Pakistan People’s Party claimed that the term of Gen Musharraf would end on Dec 31, 2008, and not on Oct 15, 2007, as claimed by the government, because he had got a vote of confidence on Dec 31, 2003, from the assemblies.

Sources, however, said there was a debate going on among the bigwigs of the commission that since President Musharraf had taken oath on Nov 16, 2002, for five years in office after a referendum held on April 30 the same year, his term would expire on Nov 16, 2007.

Under Article 41(4) of the constitution the election to the office of the president should be held not earlier than 60 days and not later than 30 days before the term ends.

The president got the vote of confidence from parliament and the four provincial assemblies under the provisions of the constitution’s 17th Amendment under a deal with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) on an understanding that he would quit as army chief on Dec 31, 2004.

After the swearing in of the president, the government had notified the assumption of the office by Gen Musharraf under the constitution.

A constitutional petition has also been filed in the Supreme Court by Awami Himayat Tehrik Pakistan chairman Maulvi Iqbal Haider on the issue.