HYDERABAD, Nov 26: The senior vice-chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Makhdoom Amin Fahim on Monday cast doubt on the credibility of elections being held under state of emergency and demanded reconstitution of Election Commission of Pakistan.

“If elections are held under emergency then their credibility will always remain doubtful,” Fahim remarked after submitting nomination forms in civil court for NA-218, PS-43 and PS-44 of his hometown, Matiari.

He said that the government should lift emergency as soon as possible to ensure the elections were held in a free and fair manner. Any decision on participation in or boycott of elections would be taken in consultation with the other political parties, he said.

Fahim opposed postponement of elections and threatened to resist such a move. Gen Musharraf should resign as Chief of Army Staff, he said, adding that his party had been struggling to rid Pakistan of dictatorship and restore democracy.

“I had said on record around five to eight months ago that the people calling for boycott of elections would definitely participate in polls and it is still my hunch,” he said.

He said that he was bound by the decisions of his party or ARD about elections and believed they would take a decision in the interest of Pakistan and in accordance with people’s aspirations. “(The party had made) contacts with Nawaz Sharif, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Fazalur Rehman in this regard,” he said. Imran Khan was in jail at that time while the party was consulting with Asfandyar Wali, Hasil Bizenjo and Mehmood Khan Achakzai.

About Sharif’s return, Fahim said that it had been a demand of ARD and PPP that there should be no obstruction to the return of Sharifs and Benazir Bhutto.

He did not rule out seat adjustments with PML-N and other parties and said in answer to a question about whether Nawaz’s return would dent PPP’s vote bank that it was not right to discuss gains or losses at the moment. Political field was open for everyone, he added.

He avoided making comments on the notion that participation in polls by opposition parties would once again legitimise the president who had suspended the constitution and said that any decision on participation or boycott of polls would be taken after consensus. “Nawaz-Benazir meeting can be held any time,” he said.

Fahim demanded curtailment of nazims’ powers for fears they might play a partisan role during elections. “I would have replied to your query had I been election commissioner,” he curtly told a journalist who asked him to say yes or no to whether elections would be held or not. Elections should be held at all costs, he stressed.

About the country’s political future after Pervez Musharraf doffed uniform, he said that all the political forces would sit together to ponder over the situation.