ISLAMABAD, Sept 25: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday formally entered the October 6 presidential race by signing over a dozen nomination papers.

It is expected that the papers will be submitted at the office of the Chief Election Commissioner in Islamabad and in the offices of one or more of the four provincial election commissioners.

Sources said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao and a number of national and provincial assembly members from the ruling coalition were among proposers and seconders of the nomination.

It’s not clear if the president will follow the tradition of himself going to the CEC’s office, or to any of the four provincial election commissions, to submit his papers.

The president had yet another round of intense talks on Tuesday with senior members of the ruling party and other trusted aides on the issues relating to his re-election and the legal challenges to his candidature.

Mr Aziz, Chaudhry Shujaat and PML secretary-general Mushahid Hussain Sayed called on him at his camp office and discussed strategy for his re-election and the overall political situation.

The meeting decided that Senate Chairman Mohammadmian Soomro and National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain would be alternative candidates in the presidential election in case his papers were rejected either by the Election Commission or as a result of Supreme Court judgment.

Both Mushahid Hussain and Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani confirmed that the president had signed his nomination papers for submission to the election commission.

The meeting discussed matters relating to the campaign for Gen Musharraf’s re-election, opposition’s reaction and APDM’s threat of quitting assemblies.

Chaudhry Shujaat briefed the meeting on his contacts with dissident party MPs and his efforts to woo them to support Gen Musharraf.

Sources said the PML leaders reassured the president that the ruling coalition had enough votes to re-elect him for the next term.

Prime Minister Aziz said the government believed in dialogue with all the stakeholders to achieve national political reconciliation which would augur well for Pakistan’s future and help strengthen democracy in the country.

He was talking to Chaudhry Shujaat and Mushahid Hussain at the PM’s house.

He said the presidential election followed by general elections would be major political events in Pakistan’s political history and the government would ensure that elections were held in a fair and transparent manner.

Chaudhry Shujaat told the prime minister that the PML would put up strong candidates in every constituency in the four provinces.