ISLAMABAD, Nov 16: Opposition parties on Friday rejected the caretaker government, headed by Mohammedmian Soomro, terming it an extension of the previous government and said it was impossible to hold free and fair elections in a repressive atmosphere.

In a statement issued here, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s information secretary Ahsan Iqbal said the caretaker government was “just (a group of) friends of Gen Musharaf” and no opposition party had been consulted about its formation.

He said that the caretaker set-up had no real power and the general enjoyed sweeping powers under the PCO, adding that the concentration of power had rendered the question of his leaving the army post inconsequential.

Without restoration of the constitution and the judiciary as it existed before Nov 3, there was no chance of holding a fair and free election, he said.

Mr Iqbal said: “Gen Musharaf and President Musharraf have played their games for too long a time and sometimes Gen Musharaf gives powers to President Musharraf and sometimes President Musharraf gives extension to Gen Musharaf ... Now both are unacceptable to the people.”

According to Mr Iqbal, Pakistan desperately needed a smooth transition to democracy, which required a neutral and consensus caretaker government. Opposition party leaders and workers were still being arrested and thousands of them were already in jail, the PML-N leader said.

There was no doubt about Gen Musharraf’s intention, as he desperately needed a two-thirds majority in the new parliament to get indemnity for his “unconstitutional action”, he added.

Mr Iqbal said: “The completion of the present assemblies’ term has no meaning because it surrendered its sovereignty to Gen Musharraf who picked leaders at his whim unlike previous assemblies which refused to ditch leader of the house when he or she became the establishment’s target for removal.”

“This assembly passed just 51 bills in five years and out of 40,000-plus questions tabled, only 8,000 were answered,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan People’s Party spokesman Farhatullah Babar rejected the caretaker set-up and said it was meant to rig general elections.

Our Reporter from Pindi adds: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Ammal (MMA) said that it was a part of the plan to rig the upcoming elections.

“There is no chance of a free and fair election under the state of emergency,” local MMA leaders, Dr Mohammad Kamal and Shamsur Rehman Swati, said in a statement.