The political parties who won in the February 18th elections have informed the Chief Executive, Presidnet Musharraf that have the two thirds majority to form the new government. This is now quite well known to the people of Pakistan. They have jointly announced that they will work to strengthen the parliament, restore the deposed judiciary and the Chief Justice Mr. Iftekhar Choudhry and all the judges who were deposed by General Musharraf on November 3, after the imposition of the state of emergency. It is also their declared objective to restore the independence of the judiciary, the rule of law and the Constitution, deleting all the amendments made through the emergency rule.
The political parties: the Pakistan Peoples Party, the Pakistan Muslim League-N and Awami National Party (ANP) have jointly announced that they will not go for the politics of confrontation and demanded that President Musharraf should immediately convene a session of the National Assembly and invite the majority holding parties to form the government. They also demanded that the Election Commission of Pakistan should announce the official results forthwith.
After demonstrating their majority the government, through the Election Commission is still using delaying tactics for the transfer of power. It has been reported in the media that the Election Commission will not announce the official results before March 3, 2008. The notification of results for the reserved seats may not be issued until the second week of March. At the present time it is assumed that a session of the new assembly will not be possible before March 14, which would be 24 days or more after the general elections. There are also reports in the media quoting sources from the Presidents house that, in the elections of 2002 General Musharraf invited the wining parties to form a government 36 days after the elections. Therefore there is no hurry before the Presidential camp invites the majority party (coalition) to form a government.
There are also reports that President Musharraf has started meetings with leaders of defeated parties and independent candidates to meddle in the transfer of power through intimidation and other means so that minority groups will jointly form the government, which is what he did in 2002 and is exactly why he took 36 days to transfer power.
The actions of the Presidential camp and the Election Commission to delay the process of transfer of power to the newly elected representatives are dangerous, not only for the democratic process but also for the survival of the country. It will also create resentment against the armed forces. This action is an effort to refuse the people the opportunity to form the government of their choice.
It is also widely known and an accepted fact that the leaders of President Musharrafs favoured parties that, in deference to President Musharraf, they will never accept the restoration of the deposed Chief Justice Mr. Iftekhar choudry and the judiciary.
The Asian Human Rights Commission urges the government of Pakistan to immediately issue the notification of the official results of the February 18 election. President Musharraf must then immediately invite the majority parties to form the government and convene a session of the national assembly for the peaceful transfer of power.
This is right time for the international community and all democratic and human rights organizations throughout the world to intervene and pressure the government of President Musharraf to accept the results of the February 18 elections and transfer the power to the civilians as quickly as possible.
