KARACHI, Nov 30: More than 100 election petitions alleging rigging and filed soon after the previous election in 2002 were still pending though they were supposed to have been decided within four months of their submission, a former judge of Sindh High Court told a meeting on Friday.

Former Sindh High Court judge Rasheed A. Razvi said that several petitions about rigging were filed just after the previous elections. Despite the fact that the elected assemblies have been dissolved on completion of their five-year term, he said the petitions had not been decided yet.

He made these observations while addressing a meeting titled, “Pre-requisite of free and fair elections”, organised by an NGO, the Pakistan Coalition for Free and Fair Democratic Elections (PACFREL).

The retired judge expressed apprehension that Article 58 (2) B of the constitution would continue to be implemented and the step would be endorsed by the rubber stamp judiciary if public and political parties did not support the independence of the judiciary. Criticising the role of intelligence agencies in politics and demanding their immediate abolishment, he recalled that defunct Mehran Bank chief Yunus Habib had told a court that he had given Rs320 million to the Inter-Services Intelligence for elections on the directives of General Mirza Aslam Beg, then chief of the army staff.

Iqbal Haider of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan demanded that reinstatement of all judges, sacking of the PCO judges, and formation of neutral caretaker government in consultation with the political parties.

Nafees Siddiqui of the Pakistan People’s Party said that the PPP was sure that the elections would be rigged, yet it was participating under protest as it did not want to boycott and leave the arena open so that non deserving people come to the assemblies as had been witnessed in 1985.

Khawaja Tariq of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz urged parties to join hands and extend support to the judiciary, lawyers, journalists and members of the civil society who were struggling for the independence of the judiciary. He said the independent judiciary and media were key to democracy.

Amin Khattak of the Awami National Party said all recent appointments of teachers and policemen would be used to rig the elections. He said that the 1973 Constitution be restored without any amendments.

Asadullah Bhutto of the Jamaat-i-Islami underlined the need for peaceful environment so that people could participate in elections without any fear. He also demanded that voters’ lists be uploaded on a website.

Urging political parties to support the struggle of the judges and lawyers and boycott the polls under the current set-up, trade union leader Liaquat Sahi said it was owing to the spontaneous movement of the civil society that Pervez Musharraf had allowed Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif not only to return but to participate in the general elections.

Former judge Majida Rizvi, Anis Haroon of Aurat Foundation, a journalist Najma Sadique, Asad Narejo of the SNF, labour leader Habibuddin Junaidi also others also addressed the meeting.

They demanded an end to the emergency rule imposed since Nov 3, the withdrawal of the provisional constitution order (PCO), and the formation of an independent election commission to conduct the general elections 2008.

The HRCP, Ecumenical Advocacy Forum, South Asia Partnership Pakistan, Aurat Foundation, Strengthening Participatory Organizations, Sungi Development Forum, Interactive Resource Centre, and the Pakistan Institute for Labour Education and Research who represent the PACFREL also demanded reinstatement of all deposed judges, restoration of the constitution, withdrawal of curbs on the media, release of all lawyers, journalists and civil society members as well as withdrawal of cases filed against them.