News

Tuesday, August 07, 2007


I’ll contest election in uniform: Musharraf

* President says uniform decision after polls
* Talks with PPP for a united front against terror

By Razzak Abro

KARACHI: President General Pervez Musharraf said on Monday that he would remain in uniform for the presidential election, which would be held before general elections.

The president, addressing PML MPAs, MNAs, senators and district nazims as well as PPP Patriots legislators, said a decision on his uniform would be made after the presidential election. Gen Musharraf said that it was a constitutional requirement that the presidential election be held one month before the end of his five-year term ending in November, so the election would be held between September 15 and October 15, sources said.

State Minister Muhammad Ali Malkani told journalists that the president had said that the Constitution did not bar him from contesting the presidential election for a second term.

“The president said that the Supreme Court could also not restrain him from re-election as president as the present chief justice had also signed the apex court’s previous judgment in his favour,” said Thatta Nazim Shafqat Shirazi.

PML leader Shahabuddin Hussaini said the president had made it clear that the present assemblies would complete their tenure and the general elections would be held according to schedule. The government legislators including Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim expressed full support for the president, the sources said.

According to sources in Chief Minister’s House, the chief minister and president earlier held a one-on-one meeting. Sources privy to the meeting said that the president did not discuss his reported talks with PPP Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto.

Online adds: The president informed the parliamentarians about the government-PPP dialogue. “This is in the better interest of the country that we all unite and defeat extremism and terrorism,” Gen Musharraf said. “No one can root out terrorism single-handedly. The entire nation has to unite for that.”

Courtesy DailyTimes.com.pk

 

 

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