January 23, 2008	Wednesday	Muharram 13, 1429

KARACHI, Jan 22: A delegation of European Union observers on Tuesday visited the Idara Noor-i-Haq of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and discussed issues related with the upcoming polls with the JI leaders.

The EU delegation comprising Ms Nora Hasmig Kankashian, Wolfganag Von Schmettau and others discussed with the JI leaders the overall political situation in the country with special reference to the general elections. The delegation assured the JI leaders that they would closely monitor the electoral process to assess the credibility of the polls.

Later, talking to journalists Prof Ghafoor Ahmed said that under the present rulers the chances of a free and fair election were thin. He advised the government to form a neutral election commission and an unbiased interim setup for holding the polls in an impartial manner.—PPI