February 10, 2008	Sunday	Safar 02, 1429

LAHORE, Feb 9: PPP Secretary-General Jehangir Badr says suicide bombings may be aimed at intimidating Asif Ali Zardari and keeping him away from the party’s election campaign, resumed on Saturday at the end of the 40-day mourning after the assassination of Ms Benazir Bhutto, and delaying the elections.

However, Badr and former president Farooq Leghari told Dawn on Saturday that the elections must be held on schedule despite the deteriorating law and order situation.

“The tragedy has to be gone through,” Leghari said, emphasising that suicide bombing incidents should not be used as a pretext to postpone the Feb 18 polls. He warned that the postponement of elections would exacerbate the problem.

A PML-Q leader contesting the election from NA-172 (Dera Ghazi Khan), Leghari said some elements were out to destabilise the country for their nefarious designs.

The former president was previously in favour of delaying the polls for one year and forming a national government to combat militancy and extremism to create an atmosphere conducive to elections. However, he doesn’t press the idea any more.

He said now the election schedule must be followed at all costs.

Asked if the law and order situation could be set right, the PML-Q leader said: “Only Allah knows.”

He was of the view that the electioneering had been adversely affected because of suicide bombings in the past, and the Charsadda tragedy would affect it further.

He said election rallies were not being held by any party, and there was little possibility of political leaders holding such gatherings in the run-up to elections. He believed that the turnout would be low in the prevailing situation.

He expressed his dissatisfaction over the number of polling stations set up by the Election Commission. Their number should have been three times as much, he said, hastening to add that now the time for such a step was over.

Leghari said polling stations in ruling areas were up to 20km away from the residences of voters because of which it was not possible for them to reach there easily and cast their votes.

While candidates arranging transport for their supporters could hope for more votes, others unable to provide the facility could not be expected to perform better. In his opinion, now the number of polling stations could not be increased because of shortage of time.

Jehangir Badr said suicide bombings might be aimed at providing the government with a pretext to postpone the elections or keep the turnout low. However, he said, the rulers should frustrate such plans and hold the polls.

“Somebody is trying to destabilise the country. This may endanger the very existence of the country,” he said.

Insisting that the government was duty-bound to maintain law and order, he said it should consult the Constitution for steps to maintain peace on the day of elections.