November 12, 2007	Monday	Ziqa’ad 01, 1428

LAHORE, Nov 11: Attorney-General Malik Mohammad Qayyum strongly feels the possibility that emergency may be lifted sometimes next month paving the way for next general elections to be held in a situation free from ‘extra-constitutional irritants’.

Simultaneously, the Provincial Constitution Order (PCO) will stand withdrawn and the 1973 Constitution restored to help revive a democratic order and civil rule in the country. “I can assure you of full democracy after the elections with all political parties participating by way of a full-fledged electioneering campaign.

We believe that the only way out of the present critical state of affairs is that democracy is restored without delay. Considering other expediencies, the President Musharraf’s government is not unmindful of the situation; it is taking all possible measures to satisfy the requirements of the 1973 Constitution”, Malik Qayyum told Dawn here on Sunday.

He said that another ‘positive’ development would be that President Gen Pervez Musharraf would doff his army uniform soon after taking oath as president for another five-year term and such a situation was possible before the end of current month (November). “We understand that Gen Musharraf will be able to take oath as president after the Supreme Court announces its decision on the constitutional petitions challenging his eligibility; I suppose that the apex court may announce the judgment within next 10 days.”

Mr Qayyum said the government was responding positively to his advice of waging least possible interference with the Constitution and was also mindful of the fact that the state of emergency, which was an extra-constitutional measure, must be over within shortest possible period of time.

“I understand that the political and legal objective of imposing emergency has been achieved to the maximum; only a specific task of combating militancy and Talibanisation (a reference to the situation in Swat) may be achieved by mid December”, he said and added that the return of democracy and a civilian rule was now a matter of few weeks.

He said that Pakistan came under a tremendous pressure after the imposition of emergency as western powers in particular were demanding, and even threatening, an early restoration of a democratic order. The strain had fairly been alleviated after the government announced that it would hold elections by mid February next year and also march to the goal of a civilian set-up headed by a president without uniform. Another factor, which helped release of the global pressure, according to him, was that the army was kept away from the political and democratic dispensation and all the state institutions, including the parliament and the judiciary, were allowed to function within the Constitutional scheme. Subsequent steps also demonstrated the government’s will to bring the situation back to normal, he added.