[aspirant2007]

Everyday we see headlines in newspapers on the U.S. presidential election but election in our neighboring country has much important bearing on India's security. Lets understand and discuss this election in Pakistan. Here I am putting the basic facts on the process. Further comment/debates are expected.


Major political parties of Pakistan

· Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam) also known as PML (Q). It is led by (Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain). The party supports current president Musharraf and forms the current national government. It compete with PML (N) in Punjab province.

· Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians known as PPPP. It is currently second largest party in Pakistan. Its main base is in Sindh province.

· Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) known as PML (N). It is led by Nawaz Sharif. Its main base is in North and Central Punjab province.

· Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal also known as MMA. It is led by Maulana Fazl Rahman and Qazi Hussain Ahmad. It is a coalition of six religious parties , The religious alliance forms the government in North West Frontier Provience. It leads the coalition government in Balochistan with PML (Quaid-e-Azam). It supports Pervez Musharraf who helped these religious parties to come in power after 2002 election. It provide moral, political support to Taliban, Al Queda and other religious fundamentalist.


· Muttahida Qaumi Movement also known as MQM. It is led by Altaf Hussain. Its main base is in Sindh province and compete with PPP.


Who hold the key

·Key to Pakistan election is with Musharraf, Musharraf and Musharraf only. Chief election commissioner is appointed by him. Judiciary is under his control with loyalist judges. Most important institution of Pakistan i.e. Army is still under his control. Media has been gagged to certain extent. So being in full control already, Mr. Musharraf has already rigged the poll for his favorable parties like PML (Q) and MMA. Now voting will be the formality. He will ensure that neither PPP nor PML (N) come in majority. Instead he will like to have present status of different political parties to be maintained.


In case PPP and PML (N) forms the coalition government, as envisaged by Navaj Sharif, most likely Musharraf would either shack such government or would facilitate splits in these parties. So player would be again Musharraf.

[aspirant2007]

(The Times of India report)

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's upcoming Parliamentary polls will be "massively rigged", according to a purported audio recording of Attorney General Malik Qayyum.

In the recording released by a leading US-based human rights group, Qayyum appeared to be advising an unidentified person on what political party the person should approach to become a candidate in the February 18 general election.

The Human Rights Watch claimed the recording was made during a phone interview with a media person on November 21 last year. Qayyum, while still on the phone interview, took a call on another telephone and his side of that conversation was recorded.

Qayyum, a retired judge who is a close aide of President Pervez Musharraf, is heard telling the unidentified person in Urdu and Punjabi to "leave" former premier Nawaz Sharif and seek a ticket from the party that "will massively rig to get their own people to win".

The recording was made the day after the Election Commission announced the schedule for polls. The polls were originally set for January 8 but were postponed after former premier Benazir Bhutto was assassinated.

"They will massively rig to get their own people to win. If you can get a ticket from these guys, take it," Qayyum purportedly said. It was not known which party he was referring to.

The Human Rights Watch said its repeated attempts to seek a response from Qayyum by phone were unsuccessful.

[aspirant2007]

London (PTI): President Pervez Musharrf believes that the PML-Q along with its allies that support him will "certainly have the majority" in Monday's crucial elections in Pakistan, though uncertain "whether they will be able to form a government".
The PML-Q allied with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement will "certainly have the majority. Whether they'll be able to form a government is a question mark," President Musharraf told Jemima Khan, the ex-wife of Pakistani politician Imran Khan in an 'extraordinary encounter' in Rawalpindi, ahead of the key elections to National and provincial assemblies.
Musharraf's assertion contradicts all recent opinion polls, which have shown that the popularity of his favoured party is right down, at just 12 per cent.
The former army chief dismissed recent opinion polls that showed that majority of the voters wanted him to quit, favouring the Opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
He said the suveys were biased, conducted by local organisations that are against him.
"They have been abusing me right from the beginning and you will never get good results from them," Musharraf was quoted as saying by Jemima in an exclusive article in The Independent daily today.
Support for President Musharraf has dramatically fallen in Pakistan, where a majority of the people believe stability and security in the country would improve if he resigned.
According to a survey conducted by BBC World Service last week almost half the respondents said they thought his controversial re-election in October last year, while he was still army chief, was not valid.