Abdali
January 1, 2007, 3:05am
7
Re: Who will win 2007/8 General elections?
Interesting analysis, especially your point about the PPP-P accepting less than “fair” election results. This news piece in today’s Nation describes how the party has in effect accepted the results of the last elections.
Violation of selection criterion irks PPP candidates
There is widespread resentment in the ranks and files of the PPP against the screening out of around 60 party heavyweights in the preliminary process of selection. The aggrieved candidates have maintained that party leadership has authenticated the election results of 2002 polls issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by opting to make the ECP results as the basis for its selection criteria. It is pertinent to mention here that PPP leadership assigned the task of selecting probable candidates for award of party tickets have devised a formula, according to which, only those party ticket holders would be entitled to get tickets for 2007 polls, who lost the 2002 election for a National Assembly seat by a small margin of 5000 votes or less. Similarly, for a provincial assembly seat, only those candidates would get tickets, who lost the last election by a narrow margin of 3000 or less votes. This formula is based on the election results of 2002 polls issued by the ECP , but in some cases, exceptions to this formula have also been made to accommodate certain party ‘heavy weights’, ignoring their performance in the last elections. “This is in contravention of party stance that 2002 elections were massively rigged, and that PPP candidates actually got more votes than declared by the election commission”, a party source observed while pointing out dual party stance on the fairness of the 2002 elections.
Party men are also perturbed over violations of the set criterion, as some so-called ‘heavy weights’ have been exempted from application of the 5000 and 3000 votes formula, and many more are likely to be awarded tickets despite their poor performance in the last elections. In Punjab and Federal Area, at least 15 PPP candidates who lost 2002 election by a wider margin (more than 5000 votes) have been considered for party ticket in violation of the said criterion. They include Dr. Babar Awan, Mushtaq Awan, Jehangir Badr, Rana Shaukat Mahmood, Sardar Aseff Ahmad Ali (though not PPP ticket holder in 2002 elections but got only 647 votes as independent candidate), Khalid Kharral, Afzal Sindhu, Mirza Nasir Baig, Ahmad Mukhtar Awan, Gen (Retd) Saeedul Hassan Zaidi. Fakhar Imam (not a PPP candidate in 2002), Makhdoom Imadudin and Ghulam Farid Kathia, In NWFP, 19 party ticket holders includng Gen (Retd) Naseerulla Babar Dr. Arbab Alamgir Khan, Dr. Karamatullah Khan, Rahimdad Khan, Saifullah Khan Khattack, Masood Khattack, Sardar Abrar Ahmad, Faisal Karim Kundi, Dawar Khan Kundi, Usman Shah don’t fulfil the criterion laid down by the party leadership, but they are very likely to get party ticket. As per sources, some aggrieved candidates have written letters to the party chairperson Benazir Bhutto expressing their resentment over the said criterion and its violations.
http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/jan-2007/1/index7.php
http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?164743
No objection to contesting elections under Musharraf, says Maulana Fazl
MINA: Opposition leader in National Assembly (NA) Maulana Fazl ur Rehman Sunday said that he has no objection to contesting in general elections in the presence of President Musharraf.
He was of the view that real opposition is MMA and not PPP in the parliament underlining that decision of Supreme Council is final and there will be no change in resignation issue.
He further urged the people of Pakistan to support him in the efforts to restore true democracy in the country.