ISLAMABAD, Aug 20: The Pakistan Muslim League on Saturday claimed a landslide victory of candidates supported by it in the first phase of the local body elections and termed it a manifestation of people’s approval of government policies.

Speaking at a news conference at the PML House here, the party’s secretary-general Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed and information secretary Tariq Azeem rejected the opposition’s charges of massive rigging.

The senator said the successful completion of the first phase of the elections would auger well for democracy, democratic institutions and political process.

Claiming a major victory of the ruling coalition in the elections as evidence of people’s acceptance of President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s advice to vote for enlightened moderate people instead of forces of darkness, he said this showed that people supported the government’s policy of moderation.

The PML leaders said individual cases of violation of the code of conduct were liable to be dealt with under the law.

In reply to a question about the opposition’s reservations regarding over 24-hour delay in announcement of unofficial results by the returning officers, they said the Election Commission would declare the results on Saturday according to its earlier announcement.

The PML secretary-general said the growing interest of voters in local body elections had established that people at large had accepted President Musharraf’s plan for devolution of power to the grassroots.

He said the results were a vote of confidence by people in the government and a positive development in terms of taking the political process and democratic system forward. He said all the political parties had played their role in the elections’ success.

He said the elections would have a reflection on the 2007 general elections.

He said candidates supported by the PML had fared well in Punjab and Sindh and they were in clear lead in Balochistan.

He admitted that the party remained behind in the NWFP and was disappointed but expressed the hope that its new provincial leadership would stimulate it in the shortest possible time.

He said that in spite of fears of violence the elections were held peacefully in Karachi, which was a big achievement of the law-enforcement agencies and the parties.

He said all the political forces had agreed that women’s role in the electoral process needed to be enhanced. He said women had participated in the elections on a large scale.

Mr Azeem brushed aside the rigging allegations of the opposition and termed it a tradition in the country.