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| India-Pakistan |
| Fair polls not possible in Pakistan, says Imran Khan |
| 2006-05-22 |
| ISLAMABAD • Free and fair elections are far from possible under General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has said. Speaking to a group of journalists here, he said: “I don’t live in fool’s paradise. An insecure general cannot ensure free and fair elections. This is writing on the wall.” Enumerating his priorities, the former cricket star said: “The number one political objective is to save the federation from internal and external threats with (either) the resignation or removal from power of General Musharraf and the formation of an interim neutral caretaker set up with the consensus of the opposition parties that would be responsible for holding free and fair elections under an independent election commission.” On April 30, Imran re-launched his party to mark its 10th anniversary, which attracted educated middle class as well as the leading columnist of the national press. The PTI chief said his party is going to launch a decisive movement for removal of the Musharraf regime in September. In this regard, he invited all democratic forces to join hands in making a final push for the removal of General Musharraf. “Agreeing to a democratic charter is a positive development but the real test is to mobilise the people to eliminate dictatorship and the complete elimination of the army’s role in politics and its immediate return to barracks,” he told a questioner. Imran Khan said any political party that enters into a deal with Musharraf would be doomed politically. The PTI chief said Musharraf’s latest remarks that he would use the present assemblies for re-election shows the complete contempt in which he holds the democratic institutions and his desperation to cling on to power using means never employed before in the country’s history. “We do not accept the present fake political system under a uniformed Musharraf and consider his continuance in office as illegal and unconstitutional and therefore, all his actions are devoid of any legal, moral or ethical basis,” Imran Khan said. Imran Khan accused the government of failing on all fronts “as unemployment is unprecedented and the prices of utilities and essential items are touching the roof. Lentils are being sold at Rs70 per kg and sugar continues to be sold over Rs40 per kg while sugar barons enjoy cabinet positions”. The PTI condemned the government for complete apathy in providing basic necessities such as drinking water. He said people were dying thanks to consumption of poisonous water while the rulers continued to spend millions of dollars on foreign junkets. Meanwhile, reacting to Imran's tirade against Musharraf's 'dictatorial' regime Pakistan Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani said that the present-day government welcomed observers from all over the world to monitor the performance of the Election Commission (EC) at the 2007 general elections. |
| Posted by:ryuge |