KARACHI, March 25: Former army chief and founder of the Awami Qiadat Party, Gen (Retd) Mirza Aslam Beg, on Friday called for free and transparent elections with a level playing field for everyone. Because, according to him, any government that comes into being as a result of a deal between the government and any political party would not be durable nor capable of overcoming national problems.

Expressing this at a news conference, Gen Beg said it was time – despite US apprehensions of extremists taking over control of the country through independent ballot – that Gen Pervez Musharraf took a bold decision of calling for fresh elections under an independent election commission, and allowing all political parties, big or small, to muster peoples support.

Gen Beg analysed the situation amid frequent reports of secret negotiations between the government and the PPP for striking a deal to block the path of the so-called religious extremists, and said that despite Washington’s apprehensions about the outcome of a free and transparent election, Gen Musharraf should act in Pakistan’s own interests to ward off serious internal conflict that might otherwise erupt.

The AQP chief said one thing was certain that even countries on whom the rulers had always blindly depended felt that the political dispensation introduced by Gen Musharraf in 2002 was weak and could crumble should anything happen to Musharraf.

In that eventuality, he also referred to reports that the US had prepared a contingency plan to deny extremists from gaining control over Pakistan’s nuclear assets.

He said that such thoughts were dreadful and misleading especially when the US was considered a big friend, who the rulers here had always been obliging.

He also dilated on three options with the present regime. The first was to strike a deal with political parties, which were moderate and secular. The second, not to strike a deal and hold elections in 2007. But, he said its final outcome could be very dangerous, citing developments in Georgia and some other central Asian states. The third option was to address misplaced US concerns about religious extremists taking over control as a result of free and fair elections.

He claimed that the Americans were perhaps apprehensive about the emergence of an independent parliament after the Turkish parliament’s refusal to allow American forces to use Turkish soil for attacks on Iraq.

He said that if the leaders of the two major political parties had been allowed to be in the arena and given a free hand, there would not have been a political vacuum and the religious parties would not have capitalized on it.

Gen Beg expressed concern over the conflict within and said the nation was divided between the privileged class, who had aligned with the US, military and the political elite, while the other half was that of the oppressed and deprived majority of the people.

He said while the common man was reeling under the mounting cost of living, unemployment, etc, rulers were spending Rs1.8 billion on the purchase of bullet proof cars for their own safety.

When Gen Beg was asked to comment on Gen Musharraf’s statement about three sardars, while Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain was working out a negotiated settlement, Gen Beg said such statements should not be made when dialogue was taking place.

He said successive governments were responsible for the current Balochistan situation because they had failed to address the problems of the common man who had lost faith in them. The Baloch people, he said, were not prepared to be deceived again.

He nevertheless said there was no justification for the Balochistan Liberation Army or armed groups of Baloch tribes and their armed struggle because they cannot win against the well-equipped military might. He, however, also said that it was necessary that in establishing the government’s writ, force should not be used against the people.

Gen Beg also hinted on the possibility that the US-British, Israeli and Indian intelligence networks had benefited the most from the chaotic situation in border areas of the NWFP and Balochistan. In this context, he referred to a possible role of Indian consulates near Pakistan’s border areas in Afghanistan and Iran.

To a question he said that Dr A.Q. Khan had played a very important role in equipping Pakistan with nuclear capability to developing some of the advanced weapons systems. He enjoyed freedom beyond any iota of doubt. He said it was possible that some of the nuclear secrets might have leaked through his network.

Gen Beg also spoke of his party’s reorganization in the province.