ISLAMABAD, July 6: President Pervez Musharraf promulgated on Saturday an order which provides that a person who, at any time, has held the office of the prime minister, or chief minister or a combination of these offices for two terms will not be qualified to hold these offices for the third time.

The order will apply irrespective of whether any one of the two or both the terms of office were completed or not.

The Chief Executive’s Order No. 19 of 2002, may be called the ‘Qualification to Hold Public Offices Order, 2002’, comes into force at once, and extends to the whole of Pakistan.

The following is the text of the order:

An order to provide for limitations to hold highest public offices.

Whereas it is imperative to consolidate the measures taken by the Chief Executive of Pakistan for the achievement of the objective of reconstruction of the institutions of state for establishing genuine and sustainable democracy to ensure good governance for an irreversible transfer of power to the people of Pakistan;

And whereas it is necessary to strengthen the democratic institutions by putting limitations for holding the highest public offices for not more than the specified terms and matters connected therewith and ancillary thereto;

And whereas the Chief Executive is satisfied that circumstances exist which render it essential to take immediate action;

Now, therefore, in pursuance of the proclamation of Emergency of the fourteenth day of October, 1999, the Provisional Constitutional Order No.1 of 1999, and in exercise of all the powers enabling him in that behalf, the Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is pleased to make and promulgate the following order:

1. Short title, extend and commencement. (1). This order may be called the Qualification to Hold Public Offices Order, 2002.

(2) It extends to the whole of Pakistan.

(3) It shall come into force at once.

2. Qualification to hold certain public offices: Not withstanding anything contained in the Constitution or any other law for the time being in force, a person who has, at any time, held the office of the Prime Minister, or that of a Chief Minister of a province or a combination of such offices for two terms, irrespective of whether any one of the two or both the terms of office were completed or not, shall not be qualified to hold the office of the Prime Minister or that of a Chief Minister.