January 03, 2008	Thursday	Zilhaj 23, 1428

LAHORE, Jan 2: Major political parties taking part in the polls, except the PML-Q, have criticised the postponement of election from Jan 8 to Feb 18, but showed their resolve not to boycott the electoral process.

The JUI-F is ready to accept the delay in polls seeing the difficulties the Election Commission of Pakistan has to face in case of undertaking the exercise on its scheduled date.

Admitting that the PPP was to benefit if the polls had been held in time, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said in principle his party was opposed to delay in the polls, though these were to benefit the PPP.

He had no objection to the conduct of the election on Feb 18 if the ECP was of the opinion that the delay was imperative keeping in view the bitterness in overall atmosphere after the killing of Benazir Bhutto. He hastened to add that the political parties should build pressure on the government and the ECP so that these could find no excuse for further delay in the election.

The PML-N does not believe that the election will be held even on Feb 18. Casting doubts on the intentions of the government to hold the polls, party leader Nawaz Sharif’s spokesman Pervaiz Rashid said President Musharraf and Chief Election Commissioner Qazi Farooq must accept their failure to undertake the polling on the decided date and resign.

The delay in polls meant that Musharraf, seeing the public response to electioneering of opposition parties, sensed defeat of his party (the PML-Q) despite rigging and began looking for excuses to put off the election, he said, adding that rioting in the wake of Rawalpindi tragedy provided him the excuse.

Alleging that the rulers themselves were behind the violence, he questioned that who had authorised the ECP to postpone the general election.

“The CEC claims he has consulted the major political parties before taking the decision. But he fails to mention the party he has discussed the issue with and it shows his mala fide intentions.”

Recalling the tactics used by Gen Zia for delaying the polls for years instead of holding the drill within 90 days as required under the Constitution, he doubts that Musharraf is serious in holding the balloting on

Feb 18.

MMA President Qazi Husain Ahmad demanded that the PML-N and the PPP should join the “remove Musharraf drive” of the All Parties Democratic Alliance instead of taking part in the election postponed for Feb 18.

He argued that the polls should now be conducted by a national government to be formed after the resignation of Musharraf and under a new election commission.

Asserting that fair elections were impossible under the present dispensation, he said the opposition had not accepted Musharraf as presidential candidate and all the steps taken by him were unconstitutional.

He believes that a forceful mass drive can pressure the government to accept the demand of holding polls under a new national government and re-constitute the ECP after restoring the Constitution as it was on Oct 2, 1999 and the pre-Nov 3 judiciary.

The Qazi has appealed to all the opposition parties to join the APDM movement for guiding the masses towards a stable country while boycotting the polls in the wake of martyrdom of Ms Benazir Bhutto.