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No change in poll dates: Musharraf
Islamabad, July 24: Brushing aside speculations, Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf has said general elections would be held on schedule in October and political parties would be allowed to campaign at `suitable time.`
Islamabad, July 24: Brushing aside speculations,
Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf has said general elections
would be held on schedule in October and political parties
would be allowed to campaign at "suitable time."
"The dates will not be changed at any cost... Reports
about postponement of elections are baseless," he told five
delegations of political parties who visited him yesterday.
"The government would ensure that elections are held in a free, fair and transparent manner," he said.
Musharraf claimed his government was sincerely trying to move towards a sustainable democracy.
"It appears a consensus has emerged on a number of proposed amendments while some sections have reservations on a few proposals," he claimed.
Musharraf told the politicians that the basic structure of 1973 constitution would not be changed.
"Amendment would be made after getting proper feedback from the people and the politicians," he said.
"The government would ensure that elections are held in a free, fair and transparent manner," he said.
Musharraf claimed his government was sincerely trying to move towards a sustainable democracy.
"It appears a consensus has emerged on a number of proposed amendments while some sections have reservations on a few proposals," he claimed.
Musharraf told the politicians that the basic structure of 1973 constitution would not be changed.
"Amendment would be made after getting proper feedback from the people and the politicians," he said.
Musharraf said the national reconstruction bureau is
considering a proposal to restore reserved seats for
minorities in the national assembly.
The politicians expressed their reservations on the proposed constitutional packages and told him that the responsibility
of amending the constitution should be left for the elected Parliament.
"We have urged the President not to touch the
constitution," Aftab Sherpao of the PPP (Sherpao) told 'The
Nation' daily after the meeting.
Bureau Report