ISLAMABAD, 11 December 2007 — The pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League (Q) unveiled its election manifesto yesterday, a day after former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said his party would take part in the elections.

The PML(Q) played up the strong growth Pakistan has enjoyed in recent years and promised a mass literacy campaign and strong defense.

The participation of Sharif’s party, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), raises the prospect of a bruising battle in Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, which returns about half the members of Parliament, between the two parties.

PML(Q) party leaders put on a brave face when they launched their manifesto, saying they welcomed Sharif’s decision to take his party into the election.

“We are very confident and ready to face any opponent. We have a strong manifesto and strong candidates for the polls,” party Secretary-General Mushahid Hussain told reporters.

“Our manifesto is based on human rights and values, tolerance, harmony and a free media,” party president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain told a news conference.

Mushahid said the party wanted to end months of political chaos in Pakistan culminating in an ongoing state of emergency imposed by Musharraf on Nov. 3.

“We make it clear that culture of revenge will have to be replaced with a culture of reconciliation. We will have to make our minds and attitude democratic,” he said. “Democracy forms the basis of Pakistan. We believe in democracy with the right to dissent,” he said.

On militancy in Pakistan, especially in the country’s troubled tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, Mushahid said his party wanted a political solution.

The tribal belt “needs a healing touch,” he said. “Extremism and terrorism can be resolved by political parties, which symoblize sovereignty and integrity of the country.”

Mushahid told AFP earlier the manifesto focused on “five Ds” — Democracy, Development, Devolution, Diversity and Defense.”

Pakistan’s main share index ended 0.68 percent higher yesterday as investors saw Sharif’s decision to take his party into the election as helping ease political uncertainty, dealers said.

A boycott would have deprived the vote of credibility and prolonged instability that has raised concern about the nuclear-armed US ally and its efforts to fight growing militancy.

Musharraf will need support in the new Parliament, or he faces the prospect of a hostile National Assembly, government and prime minister.

A hostile Parliament could even move to impeach Musharraf, who stepped down as army chief last month, over accusations he acted unconstitutionally in securing a new term as president. Sharif yesterday defended his decision to contest elections in January, saying that any opposition move to shun the polls had to be unanimous.

“If any boycott is to take place it must be unanimous, any partial boycott would be disastrous for the opposition,” Sharif told Dawn news television in his first comments since his party announced its participation on Sunday.

Sharif said his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party made the decision after attempts to convince fellow opposition leader Benazir Bhutto and a key religious party to stay out of the Jan. 8 vote failed.

“We came to the realization that we must participate in the elections to block Musharraf’s unconstitutional actions,” said Sharif.

He said however that the restoration of judges sacked under Musharraf’s emergency rule remained his party’s first priority.

Tribunal Clears Benazir for Poll

An election tribunal yesterday dismissed a petition to bar opposition leader and former Premier Benazir Bhutto from contesting next month’s elections, court officials said.

A candidate from the former ruling party which backs President Pervez Musharraf had sought Benazir’s disqualification from standing in her southern hometown constituency of Larkana.

The petition said that Benazir should be ineligible because of sentences passed down by anti-graft courts five years ago, the officials said on condition of anonymity.