EC may spoil General’s plan to keep Benazir, Sharif out

The chief of Pakistan Election Commission today said President Pervez Musharraf cannot stop former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz ...

The chief of Pakistan Election Commission today said President Pervez Musharraf cannot stop former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif from contesting this year’s general elections and it is the commission’s prerogative to decide such issues.

Only the Election Commission is empowered to decide who can stand for the October elections, Irshad Hassan Khan, who was recently appointed after retiring as chief justice of Supreme Court, said.

Musharraf, during a visit to Japan recently, had said Bhutto and Sharif will not be permitted to contest the polls. ‘‘The short answer is no,’’ he said.

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The President can express his views on the subject but the decision to allow Bhutto and Sharif to contest rests with the commission, Khan said, adding that the election will be free and transparent.

Khan, who was criticised for being part of the Supreme Court bench that conferred legitimacy to the military coup and swearing-in of Musharraf as President, said the government has not conveyed any information to the commission about holding a referendum to enable Musharraf to get elected.

Musharraf’s press secretary, Maj. Gen. Rashid Qureshi, said today that the President has not yet decided on a referendum. Denying that the President had developed ‘‘cold feet’’ over the referendum, Qureshi said Musharraf has consulted some political leaders but no decision has been taken. (PTI)

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