PESHAWAR, Aug 12: The NWFP President of Pakistan Muslim League (QA) Salim Saifullah Khan has said the government has taken every possible measure to ensure holding of the general elections in a fair and transparent manner.

The PML (QA) is fully satisfied with the pre-polls steps of the government, which leave no ground for the opponents to express doubt over the elections’ fairness.

Political parties, fearing defeat in the coming polls, are in fact levelling baseless allegations against the government that the polls would be rigged, said the PML(QA) leader in an interview with APP here Monday.

The government has allowed coverage of all the political parties on the electronic media and politicians are expressing their views in a candid manner on the PTV and radio, something which had no precedence in the past, Salim Saifullah Khan said.

The veteran leaguer denied the notion of being a leader of the “King’s party”, saying if the PML (QA) was a blue-eyed party of the government, it would have won 20 to 22 seats of district Nazims in the province instead of only six.

Moreover, the son of the Secretary General of PML(QA) has lost the district Nazim’s election in Haripur which is sufficient proof to counter the assertions of certain quarters dubbing the PML (QA) the “King’s party”, he said.

The government has put a complete ban on all postings and transfers all over the country till October elections in order to ensure transparency of the election, a move reflective of the government’s sincerity.

When asked whether PML(QA) will enter into an electoral alliance during the general election, he said “we don’t believe in solo flight” and added that his party had started talks with different political parties like ANP, PPP (S) and some religious forces to reach an understanding on a sort of electoral adjustment.

To a question, he said the parliamentary board of the party was mandated to decide about the award of the party tickets for the coming elections, “which is a democratic process.”

PML(QA) has invited applications for party tickets from the aspiring candidates till Aug 15, 2002, he added.

About rifts in the PML ranks, he said, it was a matter of regret that certain elements, for their personal motives, wanted to disintegrate the party. “Everybody wants to become president of the party,” he remarked.

However, he was hopeful of an early patch-up between Ijazul Haq and Mian Azhar.

To a question, Salim Saifullah Khan said, former premier Nawaz Sharif had left the country under a deal and could not return for ten years.

When pointed out that the ex-PM had denied having struck any deal for his repatriation to Saudi Arabia, Salim Saifullah Khan asked then what was the delay, why they were not coming back if there was no deal.

Benazir Bhutto, he said, should return and face the cases against her in the court of law. —APP