LAHORE, Sept 28: The PML-N declared here on Saturday that it would take part in the general elections despite all pre-poll rigging methods used by the regime to provoke the former ruling party to boycott the electoral process.

“We’ll contest the elections in any case, although Gen Pervez Musharraf wants us to boycott them so that his supporters find the field wide open to them”, party’s information secretary Siddiqul Farooq told a news conference here.

He said in case the regime did not desist from hijacking the elections, the PML-N would give a call to the masses to take to streets. Rigging, he said, would provide opposition parties political, moral as well as legal justification to go for agitation.

Provincial information secretary Zaeem Husain Qadri, Sharif family spokesman Farrukh Shah and Nasir Iqbal were also present.

Replying to a question, the PML-N leader said the incoming parliament should indemnify all acts of Gen Musharraf to facilitate his pullback from the political scene. Reluctance of the new lawmakers to endorse whatever had been done by the general during the last three years could prompt him into taking more steps against the country’s interests.

Siddiqul Farooq was critical of the Punjab governor who, he alleged, had left his counterparts in the other provinces far behind in pre-poll rigging. He said most of the public meetings addressed by the governor were cleverly pegged to inaugurate some development projects, and he used the occasions to urge the voters to support the pro-reform parties.

Citing press reports, he said Gen Khalid Maqbool had addressed over a dozen public meetings at places where 173 candidates of the PML-QA or the Grand national Alliance were contesting. In these meetings, the governor had announced grants worth Rs72.6 billion, allotted about 100,000 plots in the rural areas and made many more promises.

Fearing that the Oct 10 elections would be a re-run of the referendum drama, the PML-N leader said the fairness of the polls had become doubtful.

He called upon the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take a suo motu notice of the wanton and flagrant violation of law by the regime in general and the Punjab governor in particular.

He said since the chief election commissioner had failed to have his orders implemented, he should step down immediately.

He also asked countries friendly to Pakistan, human rights organizations and world bodies to take notice of the pre-poll rigging being carried out by the regime. “They should advise the Musharraf regime to desist from hijacking the October elections, because that would lead to an unprecedented political instability and would be a threat to Pakistan’s federal structure”.

He also issued details of the schemes and grants announced by the governor during his visits to different parts of the Punjab.