ISLAMABAD, Oct 23: Former premier and PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto has said that her party is striving for the restoration of the supremacy of parliament, but expressed concern that the ruling junta would prevent the PPP from doing so.

In a letter written to various heads of states, including US President Bush, she said: “I write about the controversial elections in Pakistan seeking your understanding and support in saving my country’s democratic future.”

The recent elections were stolen by the generals, she alleged.

“The American rights body, Human Rights Watch, in its pre-election report says that the decks were stacked against the democratic forces. The European Union Observers team, in its post-election report, says the elections were deeply flawed”, she said.

“The Musharraf regime, through the intelligence services, tick marked names of candidates that were to be declared victorious. They handed over the areas bordering Afghanistan to the religious parties and reduced the majorities of the two leading parties, deliberately. I fear that this was done to continue the dual policy of supporting the West and the extremists at home.

The vote count announcement was stopped after an hour of the counting started. It was held up from one hour to 36 hours. The held-up results show a huge turnout contrary to the national turnout of 20 to 30 per cent. So numerous were the ghost votes that in Nara area, the turnout was 95 per cent in the controversial polling stations. In Shikarpur, it was 80 per cent and in Dadu 100 per cent”.

She also said: “I wrote to the Election Commission about the need for transparent and immediate vote count. I did this because of bitter experience when past elections were stolen after the poll closed.

“I hope the observers will demand the polling station-wise results and count the percentages before making conclusions. Pakistan needs the help of the observers in getting details from the Election Commission and in finding out the difference between the real and fake turnouts.

“I fear that the people of Pakistan will become disenchanted with the electoral process because the first major rigging of the elections since 1990, voters turnout continues to decline. The voter lacks confidence that his vote matters.

“The choice for the Pakistanis ought to be between political parties. But, sadly, the choice is not even between dictatorship and democracy. It is fast becoming one between the military and the religious parties”, she said.