KARACHI, Feb 12: People’s Party Parliamentarians president Makhdoom Amin Fahim has said he will ask all opposition parties to consider boycotting the next general elections in the absence of a national consensus government and an independent election commission, because there is no hope of transparent elections under the present regime.

Speaking at a press conference at the residence of PPP leader Qaim Ali Shah on Monday, he said that with the experience of the recent by-elections in Karachi and Dadu, he was reconsidering an earlier decision about his party’s participation in the next election held under President Gen Pervez Musharraf regime.

He accused the government of ‘breaking all previous records of rigging’ during the by-polls. Under the current set-up, he said, there was no hope of free, fair and transparent elections.

Mr Fahim, who is also chairman of the ARD, said he believed in participating in all election because it was the only way to achieve democracy. However, he added, with the experience of the heavily-rigged by-polls, his party would keep all options open, including a boycott of the next general election.He reiterated his demand for dissolution of the present set-up, formation of a national consensus government and empowerment of the election commission for holding the elections in a free, fair and transparent manner.

He condemned the rigging in the by-polls and incidents of violence in Karachi and Dadu, including an armed attack on a PPP woman leader.

He announced that the ARD, Awami National Party (ANP) and other parties which supported the PPP candidate if the by-election would hold a protest march on February 14 from Regal Chowk to the office of the Provincial Election Commission.

“This protest is the first step; in the second phase we will extend our protest across the province and in the country after consulting all opposition parties,” he said.

Answering a question about the multi-party conference (MPC), he said the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) were discussing a five-point agenda for the conference.

Mr Qaim Ali Shah gave newsmen the details of the incidents of violence and official rigging during the by-election for PS-71.

The ARD candidate for the NA-250 seat, Nafees Ahmed Siddiqui, said that all opposition parties in the country had expressed no-confidence in the election commission which was ‘completely powerless’.

“We have no hope of free, fair and transparent election in the presence of Gen Musharraf,” he said, adding that a final decision about boycotting the next general election would be taken by former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.

Earlier, a meeting of ARD leaders was held, which was presided over by ARD chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim. Awami National Party president Asfandyar Wali also attended the meeting.

They discussed the rigging and incidents of government-sponsored violence during the by-elections in Karachi and Dadu.

The meeting condemned the armed attacks on Qaim Ali Shah, Dr Azra, Nafees Ahmed Siddiqui and other party workers during the by-polls and demanded immediate arrest of the attackers.

Mr Wali said his party fully supported the ARD and other opposition parties in the struggle for the restoration of true democracy and there would be no compromise on principles.

He said the combined opposition had to evolve a consensus strategy and launch a joint movement to get rid of the present rulers.

The meeting was attended by the representatives of PPP, PML-N, ANP, Pakistan Democratic Party, Muttahida Ulema Forum, Tanzeemul Awan, Punjabi-Pukhtun Ittehad, Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and others.