HYDERABAD, April 2: Former caretaker prime minister and National People’s Party chief Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi has demanded deployment of army troops inside polling stations in the next general election. He was talking to journalists after launching a book of former Sindh local government secretary Agha Shahabuddin on “Local government system in Sindh” at the Sindhi Language Authority auditorium on Sunday.

He hoped that President Gen Pervez Musharraf would honour his commitment to hold free and fair elections.

He said the need for free elections had been emphasised even by US President George W. Bush during his visit when he had said that polls should be ‘honest’.

He said the present situation in the country also demanded fair elections so that genuine representatives of people could be elected.

Disagreeing with political parties expressing no confidence in Chief Election Commission Mohammad Farooq Kazi, he said he should be given a chance to show his performance.

He ruled out any electoral alliance ahead of the 2007 elections, saying it was too early at this stage.

Mr Jatoi condemned demolition of ancient villages in Karachi and said that after a long time mutual cohesion had developed in Sindh which needed to be promoted, instead of being destroyed.

He called for ending the action, saying it was creating misunderstandings.

He said affected people should be rehabilitated because they had the right to live there as they had been living for centuries.

He also pointed to the menace of land grabbing in Karachi and said hundreds of settlements had been occupied by the land mafia.

He welcomed an inquiry into the matter ordered by the Sindh chief minister.

Mr Jatoi did not oppose formation of a political party by Bengalis living in Karachi and said no one could prevent people from holding meetings because it was their right.

About illegal immigrants in Sindh, he said it was up to the government to identify them and added that when such a registration process would began, the department concerned would look into credentials of the party of Bengalis.

He admitted that he was the head of the National Alliance which had tried to give an honourable exist to the army but could not get 100 percent success in it. “Nevertheless, it was a good beginning,” he said.

The NPP chief supported the existing local government system and said it should be strengthened because it would prove to be a nursery for future parliamentarians.

He said every citizen of the country had the right to take part in politics and as far as Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto were concerned it was up to them to decide about their return.

“There is no ban on them to take part in politics but they cannot not be elected prime minister for the third term,” he said.

Mr Jatoi emphasised the need for availability of water in down stream areas.

He hoped that the issue of the Kalabagh dam would not be raised again, adding that if the dam was built, the country’s integrity and solidarity would be damaged.

He claimed that there were no objections on dams upstream Kalabagh.