September 19, 2007	Wednesday	Ramazan 06, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Sept 18: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has said it will not participate in Gen Pervez Musharraf’s re-election as president but it will not resign from the assemblies provided its three conditions are met.

“Once Gen Musharraf files his nomination papers, the PPP will decide whether it will resign from parliament or boycott the elections. In any event, the PPP will not vote for Gen Musharraf as president from this parliament either in uniform or even after leaving the post of the Chief of the Army Staff believing he is barred from contesting unless there is a constitutional amendment,” said PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar in a statement on Tuesday.

However, Mr Babar said if Gen Musharraf would first leave the COAS post prior to seeking his re-election as president from the present parliament, take measures for national reconciliation by passing a law giving immunity to those parliamentarians who had not been proved guilty by any court in the last 10 years and repeal the ban on the twice-elected prime minister being eligible to contest for a third time, the PPP would not resign and leave the issue of eligibility to the superior judiciary to determine.

“If these steps for national reconciliation are not taken, the PPP will call a meeting of the party and the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy and consider resigning from parliament,” he said.

Mr Babar said the PPP was “surprised and disappointed” by the statement of Sharifuddin Pirzada that Gen Musharraf would contest his re-election as president from the present parliament in uniform. “The PPP was under the impression that Gen Musharraf would seek re-election after leaving the post of the army chief from the present parliament,” he added.

“While the PPP believes that it is unconstitutional for a public servant to contest for elections until a period of two years has lapsed, it still expects Gen Musharraf to leave the post of the army chief prior to seeking re-election,” he said, adding: “The PPP opposes the re-election of Gen Musharraf from the present parliament as unconstitutional on two grounds, first, an army chief cannot contest presidential elections and secondly, that even after retiring an army chief has to wait for two years to contest elections.”

Mr Babar made it clear that the PPP could not accept a uniformed president at all.