CHAKWAL, July 31: President Pervez Musharraf has said in unequivocal terms the next elections will be held in 2007 according to schedule and urged the people to vote for his supporters in the upcoming polls if they want democratic norms to flourish and the country to grow stronger.

“Elections will be held in 2007 at all costs. If people want democratic norms to flourish in the country and want Pakistan to grow stronger, they must support my supporters in the upcoming elections so that the fast paced development process could be sustained”, he said while addressing a public meeting in Kattas, near here on Monday.

The president criticised what he termed self-styled champions of democracy and said: “I want the National Assembly and provincial assemblies to complete their terms so that a healthy democracy can flourishes in the country.” On the other hand, the opposition wanted dissolution of assemblies to destabilise the country and the democratic process, he said. “I regret (that) and am furious when I hear the opposition talk about chaos and disorder,” the president said.

He also criticised those who talked against the army and warned that if the army grew weak, the country could face a Lebanon-like situation. “Peace is achieved through strength and not through weakness. A strong army guarantees a stable Pakistan. Therefore, the army must grow strong and we will make it stronger.”

Condemning Israel’s offensive on Lebanon, the president called for an immediate ceasefire and said that efforts should be made for a lasting peace in the region. He said that there was a need to explore the possibility of a political solution to Lebanon and Palestine issues.

He reiterated his call for rooting out terrorism and extremism and said sectarian-motivated fanaticism should be discouraged, adding that it was the only way to achieve the objective of a developed and prosperous Pakistan.

Enumerating his government’s achievements, the president said that when he had taken over power, the total national development budget was between Rs70-80 billion. He said that if one prime minister initiated a project, the other prime minister did away with it, adding that it had turned the country into a “graveyard of development projects”. The country’s development budget now had reached the mark of Rs450 billion, he said. The development funds of Punjab had touched the level of Rs100 billion.

Punjab Governor Lt-Gen (retd) Khalid Maqbool, Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas Tahir Iqbal and district Nazim Chakwal also attended the meeting.— Online