ISLAMABAD/KARACHI, 12 September — An international monitoring institute said yesterday it was worried that October elections in Pakistan would lead to only a very limited transfer of power from military to civilian rule and this could cause instability.
The Washington-based National Democratic Institute for International Affairs said many politicians and civil leaders it had spoken to in Pakistan had voiced apprehension that the country would plunge into crisis if the elections were not accepted as credible. “The delegation was deeply concerned that should the consequences of the election process fail to produce immediate, meaningful democratic developments the stability of the country could be jeopardized,” it said in a statement after a week-long visit by an NDI delegation to Pakistan.
However it said the election could provide for a peaceful transition to civilian rule if the process was deemed credible by Pakistanis and immediate steps were taken to transfer power to the elected parliament and the government.
“Should these developments not take place... the upcoming elections will have been a hollow exercise,” it said. The NDI, which is closely linked to the Democratic Party in the United States, expressed “deep concern” that recent constitutional changes allowed for only a “very limited transfer of power to civilians”. Its statement came after a senior US official in Washington said on Tuesday that US President George W Bush would emphasize the importance of democracy when he met Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf, in New York today.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission on yesterday warned the political parties of strict action if they failed to submit the audited and verified statements of their accounts by today.
The political parties are required to submit before the commission, their consolidated statement of accounts audited by a chartered accountant, within 60 days after the close of the financial year. The prescribed period expired on Aug. 29. However, the commission has extended the deadline till today.
