* Says he will remain above-board during electoral process
* Caretaker govts after dissolution of assemblies
President General Pervez Musharraf on Sunday announced that the general elections would be held before January 9, within 60 days of the National Assembly’s (NA) dissolution on November 15. Assemblies’ dissolution: “The NA will stand dissolved on November 15 on completion of its five-year constitutional tenure, and the provincial assemblies of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan will be dissolved on November 20 before their five-year tenure completes so that the elections for the national and provincial assemblies are held on the same day,” the president told a press conference.
He said he would request the Election Commission (EC) to hold general elections as soon as possible. “I expect that the elections will be held before January 9,” he said, adding that the provincial assemblies were to complete their tenures on different dates but they would be dissolved on the same day.
While the NWFP Assembly had been dissolved on the advice of former chief minister Akram Khan Durrani on October 9, the five-year tenure of the Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh assemblies was to end on November 24, November 26 and December 10 respectively. “A caretaker government in the centre will be in place on November 15 while in the provinces the caretaker governments will be put in place on November 20,” he said.
Will supervise polls: The president said he would ensure transparent elections. “I, being the president, will remain above board and foreign observers will be invited to monitor the polls,” he said, adding that it was for the first time in Pakistan’s history that the assemblies would complete their tenures.
He made it clear that he would not allow anyone to violate the rules. “If we want free and fair elections, the rules should be adhered to by all equally,” he said. He said he expected the politicians and activists detained over the past week to be freed to take part in the elections although no one would be allowed to create anarchy,” Reuters reported.