Musharraf announces polls by Feb 15
ISLAMABAD: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Thursday announced that the general elections would be held by Feb 15 and said he would doff his uniform as soon as the Supreme Court took a decision about the notification of the results of Oct 6 presidential election.
Reiterating his “total commitment” to hold the general elections and complete the transition to full democratic civilian rule in the country, the president said, “The elections in Pakistan must be held before February 15, 2008, latest.”
Talking to reporters after chairing a meeting of the National Security Council at the NSC Secretariat here, he said he had repeatedly said over the past few months that there should be a civilian president and the election must be held.
The president said following deliberations, it was decided to hold the election for the National Assembly and the provincial assemblies simultaneously.
About the decision to doff his uniform, he said before the presidential election, the Supreme Court had ordered the Election Commission not to notify the election results, pending verdict on constitutional petitions.
“There is no doubt this is the third stage of transition and I must remove my uniform. The Supreme Court now has to decide. When they allow this notification, that is the time when I can take oath as the president and remove the uniform,” he said.
The meeting chaired by President Pervez Musharraf was attended by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Senate chairman, National Assembly speaker, the chief ministers, the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, the chiefs of Naval and Air Staff. The Minister for Interior, Governor of the NWFP and the Vice Chief of the Army Staff attended the meeting on special invitation.
The president gave a detailed overview of the factors that led to the imposition of emergency rule, as well as the future course of action to take the country forward. He said the proclamation of emergency and Provisional Constitutional Order were aimed at stopping the elements that wanted to disrupt the transition to full democratic civilian rule in the country.
Musharraf stressed it was imperative that there was harmony in the entire government machinery and also among all the pillars of the state to attain the desired objective of cleansing the country of extremism and terrorism and making it a truly dynamic and progressive Islamic welfare state.
He reiterated his total commitment to the continuation of the democratic process and said it was essential to take it forward despite the many challenges being faced by the country and the desire of certain elements to derail the process.
Musharraf said immediate measures needed to be taken by the federal and provincial governments for providing relief to the people. He urged to put in place a mechanism to immediately curb the price-hike in the country and take strong action against hoarders and profiteers.
He later told reporters that the people were suffering a great deal due to the price-hike. He said there was a need to issue an ordinance to deal strictly with hoarders and profiteers and have an implementation machinery to check the trend. He said the prime minister had also been asked to ensure that the Utility Stores Corporation further reduced the prices of essential commodities for the poorest of the poor so that they might get these things easily.
The president also stressed that prompt justice should be delivered to the people. He directed the Ministry of Interior and the provincial governments to take necessary steps for improvement of law and order and security of lives and properties of the people.
The NSC also deliberated at length the prevailing law and order situation in the country, and the actions being taken in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Swat and elsewhere to restore the writ of the state.
The participants of the meeting expressed complete support and understanding of the compelling circumstances that led to the imposition of emergency and issuance of the PCO. They were of the view that at this critical juncture, when the country was facing multiple challenges arising out of militancy, extremism and terrorism, there was a need for complete unity and harmony amongst all state institutions to tackle and overcome these challenges effectively.
Source: The News
Date:11/9/2007
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