January 23, 2008	Wednesday	Muharram 13, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Jan 22: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Tuesday questioned the appointment of Speaker National Assembly Chaudhry Amir Hussain as acting president arguing that the constitution prohibits a candidate of a political party to hold any office even temporarily.

Speaking at a news conference here on Tuesday PPP leader Senator Latif Khosa said that according to article 43 (2) of the constitution, acting president could not be candidate for National or Provincial Assembly adding that the former speaker was a PML-Q-nominated candidate for a Sialkot constituency.

He said according to the article, in case a candidate holds an office in the interim set-up, he would lose his right to contest the elections.

But the acting president was actively campaigning in his constituency enjoying full presidential protocol and using state resources.

Mr Khosa said the party had lodged a written complaint with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) in this regard. But, he said, no action had been taken against the acting president who was contesting election from Silakot against PPP- nominated candidate Ferdous Ashiq Awan.

He said according to constitution acting Senate Chairman Jan Mohammed Jamali should have been made as acting president. He said it clearly indicated that the government was all set to rig election and that too through using state resources.

The PPP leader alleged that the acting president was blatantly misusing his official telephones, vehicles, petrol vouchers and even photocopies machines for his election campaign besides converting government rest houses into his election offices.

Flanked by PPP leader Mir Baz Khan Kethran, he demanded disqualification of the speaker as a candidate criticizing President General (retired) Pervez Musharraf and his ‘installed’ caretaker government for reducing the constitution to a mere paper.

To a question he said that after the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on December 27, over 4,000 FIRs had been registered against PPP workers on charges of damaging public property.