I wonder if anyone will listen?
Daily Times Thousands of Pakistanis demand clean local polls
WASHINGTON: Ten thousand Pakistani-Americans celebrating independence day endorsed a joint statement urging the government in Islamabad to provide full protection and ensure complete freedom of franchise during the August 18 countrywide local elections.
The signatories to the joint statement included the Coalition of Pakistani Organisations, Chicago, the Indus Society of America, the Islamic Circle of North America, the Kashmir Solidarity Front, the Pakistan American Democratic Forum, the Pakistan Muslim League (N), the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Rehman Foundation.
The declaration was issued at Chicago where more than 10,000 Pakistani- Americans endorsed it by a show of hands during independence day celebrations in the city’s Warren Park. The audience enthusiastically approved the joint statement read out by Prof Dr Agha Saeed, who had flown in from Los Angeles to lead the Chicago Pakistan independence day parade and rally.
The joint statement said, “Cognizant of the deteriorating law and order situation in Pakistan evident by recent political murders, and cognizant that Neocons seek to bring about a ‘civil war’ in Muslim countries, we call on the Musharraf administration to ensure that the overall environment remains peaceful before, during and after the first phase of city council elections; ensure that the election process remains orderly and transparent with unimpeded access to polling stations; ensure that independent observers and poll watchers are able to scrutinise vote counting and other related activities; and ensure that the election process is not used by anyone to harass, intimidate, threaten, attack or harm the voters or members of other political parties.” The statement noted that the Pakistan government had been repeatedly warned by Pakistani and Pakistani-American groups of the “real possibility” of violence during the upcoming elections. khalid hasan