KARACHI, 6 September 2005 — Pakistan opposition parties yesterday decided not to wait for 2007 elections to oust President Pervez Musharraf but go ahead with a mass campaign to get rid of him as soon as possible, sources said.
President of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Qazi Hussain Ahmed in a press conference in Karachi said that people could not expect the present government to hold free and fair elections in the country keeping the alleged malpractices in the recent local polls in mind.
“The situation has pushed the country into a blind alley and made it imperative for all patriotic, democratic and Islamic forces to liberate Pakistan from the shackles of military dictatorship and restore the 1973 constitution,” Qazi said.
He claimed opposition parties have said they would not accept any military ruler in the country in the future.
Qazi said, “We have started our campaign to end the undemocratic regime of General Pervez Musharraf, the campaign will last till the illegal regime of Musharraf is over.”
He said, “Now we will not wait for 2007 elections but our demand and campaign is to remove Musharraf and his stooges. No elections will be held under Musharraf because it will not be a fair and transparent elections.
“We have witnessed all elections held in his regime, be it his referendum or a number of previously held local bodies elections, all have proven to be fraudulent.”
He claimed the government had “committed blatant rigging” in the recent local government polls, which they said had worsened the “crises-like” situation in the country.
Opposition parties have called for a countrywide strike from Friday to protest Musharraf’s policies.
This is the first time since 2002 that the joint opposition called a protest “to increase efforts to eradicate poverty and provide people with all basic facilities of life and social and economic justice and proper distribution of wealth, and to pledge never to accept nor tolerate a military takeover of power,” Qazi said.
Pakistan to Send Delegation to Palestinian Territories
Pakistan yesterday said it would follow up its first official contact with Israel by sending a parliamentary delegation to the Palestinian Territories next month.
The visit is part of an initiative to help resolve the long-standing crisis in the Middle East, the Foreign Office said.
Foreign Office spokesman Naeem Khan told reporters the delegation is scheduled to meet both the Palestinian and the Israeli authorities.
“Right now we are finalizing the composition of the delegation and the dates,” Khan said of the proposed visit which would be the first ever from Pakistan to the Palestinian and occupied territories.
