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| April 16, 2006 | Sunday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 17, 1427 |
Election strategy yet to be finalised: PML-N
ISLAMABAD, April 15: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML- N) on Saturday said it had not yet finalized strategy for the next general elections and no decision had been taken to convert the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) into an election alliance.
Speaking at a news conference, acting parliamentary leader of the PML-N Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said at the moment all options, including boycott of the next elections, were open for the party. He was accompanied by former provincial minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar.
Without naming, Chaudhry Nisar said there were some opposition leaders who believed that Gen Musharraf would be forced to hold free and fair polls in the country due to internal and external pressures. However, he said, the PML-N was very clear that free and fair elections were not possible under Gen Musharraf.
The PML-N leader said his party would take a decision at an appropriate time regarding boycotting of elections or seat adjustments with any party or parties.
“We will cross the bridge, when we will come to it,” he said.
Terming the meeting between PPP leaders and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in London on Friday successful, he said the two parties had almost finalized a “charter of democracy” which was expected to be signed by heads of the two parties during their meeting in London in the next few weeks.
He said the ARD would try to convince other opposition groups to sign the “charter of democracy” which would help remove public grievances about political parties.
Replying to a question, he said, if the opposition parties decided to boycott the next elections then it would be the beginning of a decisive struggle and movement against the government. “We will not sit at home after boycotting the polls as we do not want to give a free hand to those supporting uniformed democracy,” he added.
Commenting on the statement of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain that the MQM was ready to quit the government if the opposition parties made a commitment that they would work for total elimination of the role of army in politics, he said, now Altaf Hussain should honour his words as the opposition parties had already announced to carry out struggle for complete elimination of military role in politics.
Chaudhry Nisar announced that after a meeting between Ms Bhutto and Mr Sharif in London, a summit meeting of all the opposition parties would be held outside Pakistan to devise a joint strategy. Besides the ARD and MMA, he said, heads of the nationalist parties and other political leaders would also be invited to the grand opposition meeting. He said the schedule for the grand opposition meeting would be announced in the next couple of weeks.
Responding to a question, he said, the PML-N had never demanded early elections in the country. “It was basically the PPP’s demand and claim that early elections would be held in the country,” he said.
About the opposition leaders’ recent meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, he said, the opposition was not seeking help from any foreign country for free and fair polls in the country. He said the opposition leaders were invited by Mr Boucher for a cup of tea and they only expressed their viewpoint. He, however, said Gen Musharraf had become a liability for the US administration.
About the caretaker setup for the next elections, he said, it could comprise judges who had refused to take oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO). He said those people should be included in the caretaker government who had no stakes in the elections and post-election phase.
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