PESHAWAR, Sept 2: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy has said that it will build pressure on the government to set up an independent Election Commission and pave way for conducting fair and transparent general elections.

“We cannot allow the government to pursue its interests and all available channels will be used at appropriate time,” ARD Secretary Zafar Iqbal Jhagra told reporters here on Friday.

He criticized the government for establishing contacts with Israel, and said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf as an individual had no right to take such decisions.

He said that Parliament was an appropriate forum to make such overtures.

About the alleged interference of government functionaries in the local body polls, he said that if the government did not stop influencing the third phase of the LB elections the ARD would have to seek UN’s intervention in the next general elections.

He said that major decisions would be taken at the alliance’s meeting on Saturday, which would be held in Islamabad.

Replying a question about alliance’s early proposal of boycotting the third phase of LB elections, he said that they would not provide any space to the government to pursue its agenda and sideline country’s political forces.