MATIARI, June 24: President of the Pakistan People’s PartyParliamentarians, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, has said options including boycott of forthcoming general elections will be considered if a consensus national government was not formed and opposition parties felt that the electoral process was not transparent.
Talking to journalists here on Saturday on the occasion of Ms Bhutto’s 54th birthday he said that his party never talked about a grand alliance of opposition parties because “it was not needed at all”.
He said all voters should be enrolled in fresh rolls or elections should be held on the basis of electoral lists prepared in 2002. He completely ruled out any support to President's re-elections by the current assemblies.
“We never talked about Grand Alliance of the opposition parties. All opposition parties are working as joint opposition from platform of ARD, Ponam, MMA, PTI and ANP so we don't think it is needed”, he said to a question whether he saw any possibility of formation of such an alliance.
Regarding MMA's role in present regime ever since 2002, he said it was religious alliance that struck a deal with the government to obtain a share in Balochistan coalition government, get opposition leader's slot despite being in minority and as quid pro quo they got the 17th constitutional amendment passed.
Answering a question regarding Benazir Bhutto's statement of power formula deal with Mian Nawaz Sharif and subsequent denial by PML-N Secretary Iqbal ZafarJhagra, he said: “I don't deny her statement as I have read it but Jhagra shouldn't have issued a rejoinder because it was something that was discussed between two of us. Any decision in this regard will be taken at the forum of ARD”, he argued.
He deplored May 12 carnage and said that the mayhem was carried out under patronage of provincial and federal governments. “The fact that no action was so far taken or no official was removed testifies that it was approved by the government”, he said.
Regarding any future adjustment with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in Sindh in the aftermath of forthcoming polls, he didn't rule it out completely. He, however, hastened to add that such a decision is linked to holding of fair elections and their subsequent results.
He expressed his unawareness regarding any government's proposal for winding-up present dispensation and said that those sitting in government kept making confusing statements.
He rejected reports that Benazir Bhutto had linked her participation in PML-N sponsored multi party conference in London with quitting of Balochistan government by MMA. He said that statement attributed to Ms.Bhutto was incorrect. “She has fixed no such precondition”, he said.
He said, his party was opposed to martial law as it had brought the country on the verge of destruction while PPP stood for people's government and transparent polls.
He demanded that 20 million voters that had been disenfranchised in provisional electoral rolls should be enrolled.
“We rightly question how these voters are left out when they had voted in 2002. Either it was rigging in 2002 or government plans to rig forthcoming polls”, he said.
