ISLAMABAD, 8 October 2007 — A caretaker government will assume charge on Nov. 15 to hold elections in a free, fair and transparent manner, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said yesterday.
Talking to journalists at an iftar party also attended by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League president, Aziz said the PML would not forge electoral alliance with the Pakistan People’s Party.
He said, “We are confident that the PML(Q) will sweep next elections. Aziz said the National Reconciliation Ordinance was issued to bring about national unity.” He said, “We are open to negotiations with all political parties for the smooth conduct of elections.”
Meanwhile, President Pervez Musharraf girded yesterday for a Supreme Court battle over whether he can claim victory in the presidential vote, a confrontation which could further destabilize the country.
The key US ally swept to an overwhelming majority in Saturday’s election after it was boycotted by almost the entire opposition. The country’s top court is however weighing up the legality of the poll. A judgment against Musharraf could push him over the brink after months of political turmoil and make him declare martial law.
Musharraf late Saturday insisted that his “great victory” was democratic, rejecting claims that abstentions by former Premier Benazir Bhutto’s party and resignations by other opposition MPs made it illegitimate. “Democracy means majority, whether there is opposition or no opposition,” he told reporters.
But he refused to rule out emergency action if the court overturns the result, saying: “Let them come to their decision, then we will decide.” The court says it will start hearing the challenges against the election on Oct. 17, the day that Benazir is due to board a plane back to Pakistan after years in exile. Musharraf signed an amnesty deal for two-time Prime Minister Benazir on Friday, as a prelude to a power-sharing deal ahead of a general election that is due by Jan. 15 at the latest.
A source close to the presidency was more blunt, saying that the president could impose “surgical martial law” to maintain stability in the nuclear armed nation in the event of an unfavorable court ruling.
The United States, which has closely watched the election process amid a recent rash of extremist violence, gave cautious congratulations to the Pakistan nation, but withheld comment on Musharraf’s win.
With Musharraf’s fate in the court’s hands, his vow to step down as head of the army by the end of his current five-year term on Nov. 15 now appears to be in limbo. He is due to swear in his designated successor as army chief, former intelligence chief Ashfaq Kiyani, today, but the court row has quashed speculation that Musharraf might hang up his uniform immediately afterward.
Musharraf’s supporters freely celebrated his win in the vote by the two national houses of Parliament and four provincial assemblies by setting off fireworks overnight, despite the delay in the announcement of official results.
Rallies in support of Musharraf were held in the central city of Multan, where supporters danced in the streets overnight and handed out sweets, officials said. About 400 people also gathered in Lahore, where party workers chanted “Long Live Musharraf.” Supporters of Benazir Bhutto also held a rally in Islamabad.
