ISLAMABAD, 15 October 2007 — Eid Al-Fitr was celebrated across Pakistan yesterday amid tight security. Policemen and rangers were deployed at mosques and open grounds where Eid congregations were held.
President Gen. Pervez Musharraf in his Eid message called for fighting extremists through political harmony and national unity.
At some mosques in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Quetta, metal detectors and cameras were installed to ensure foolproof security arrangements.
President Musharraf offered Eid prayers at the Army Sports Stadium in Rawalpindi with top brass of the army. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and his Cabinet ministers offered Eid prayers at the King Faisal Mosque.
“We are faced with heightened activity by the forces of extremism and militancy who threaten the very foundations and ideology of Pakistan,” Musharraf said in a somber Eid message to the nation. “They can be countered effectively only through national consensus and political harmony.”
Aziz Defends Presidential Poll
Prime Minister Aziz yesterday defended his country’s Oct. 6 elections and said he expected the Supreme Court to uphold President Musharraf’s re-election.
“President Musharraf secured 57 percent of the vote, and whether the opposition had participated or not, we had a comfortable majority in the electoral college, which consists of all houses of parliaments in Pakistan,” Aziz told CNN’s “Late Edition.” Aziz reiterated Musharraf’s intention to resign as army chief before he takes his oath of office.
Aziz said the government’s lawyers were confident the court would uphold Musharraf’s election when it meets to review the matter on Wednesday.
“I cannot comment or speak for the Supreme Court. But I can speak for our lawyers who are representing us. And they are very confident that our case is strong and this will go in favor of the president,” Aziz said.
He rejected reports that divisions over the election were distracting the government’s efforts to deal with Al-Qaeda and Taleban militants along the country’s border with Afghanistan.
“That is absolutely untrue,” Aziz said. “The security paraphernalia, the security apparatus of Pakistan has nothing to do with the re-election of the president.” Aziz said Pakistan had 100,000 troops along the border and was using all its expertise to secure the border.
“We are not looking the other way. We have not taken our eye off the ball. In fact, the intensity of engagement by the opposing parties has increased because we are taking them on,” the prime minister said.
