PGF NEWS

e-Newsletter

I. Gender

II. Democracy Watch

III. Governance at Large

IV.Geo-Political Dynamics

Women & Politics 1st Muslim Woman Takes Front Seat in UK Parliament Human rights lawyer Sayeeda Warsi has become the first Muslim woman to take a front-bench post at cabinet level in the British Parliament. The 36-year old mother of one took her seat in the House of Lords as Baroness Warsi. She is also the youngest member of Britain’s Upper Parliamentary chamber and the first female Muslim for the opposition Conservative Party. Warsi said community cohesion is about “how we all live together with ease, how we feel comfortable in our communities and ways in which we bind together as a nation”. She joins two other Muslim women in the House of Lords, Baroness Uddin, who was given a peerage to represent the ruling Labour Party in 1998 and Baroness Falkner, who was elevated to the upper chamber as a Liberal Democrat in 2004. There have been no Muslim women so far elected to the 646-member House of Commons, which includes only four Muslim male MPs, who are all from the Labour Party. There are also four Muslim men already in the House of Lords, three Labour and one Conservative. Warsi formally takes up her post after being appointed by Cameron in a cabinet reshuffle in June, when he said he was creating a new post to demonstrate his party’s commitment to tackling challenges faced by modern Britain. India ’s First Women-only Political Party Launched India ’s new All-Female Political Party said on October 16 that it aims to rid the country of corruption and poverty, and focus on women’s issues. The United Women Front has nearly 100 members, and plans to induct thousands more to provide a “clean” alternative to India’s traditionally male-dominated parties, which are perceived as being dishonest, its leaders said. Party President Suman Krishan Kant, a women’s rights activist and wife of a late Vice-President, told a news conference that, I believe women are more honest, more capable and more hardworking. She further said that the party would raise funds through individual, not corporate, donations. The party will field candidates in local elections in western Gujarat and northern Himachal Pradesh states due to be held this year, and in national elections scheduled for 2009. Party leaders said issues affecting women such as dowries and abortions of female foetuses would get special attention. Farzana, Amina Declared MNAs on Reserved Seats The Election Commission of Pakistan on October 4 th 2007, through a notification, declared Farzana Malik and Amina Saleem as Member of the National Assembly on reserved seats. Two ruling PML candidates were nominated MNAs from a list of probable candidates, the Party had submitted to the Commission in 2002 for reserved seats, keeping in view all political parties seats won in the General Elections. The two newly filled seats were vacated by Dr. Saira Tariq and Shahzadi Umerzadi, who resigned in protest against President General Musharraf’s decision to seek another term from the same assemblies in the military outfit. Women & Economics Dr. Shamshad Best Governor in Asia State Bank of Pakistan Governor Dr. Shamshad Akhtar has been conferred the prestigious award of “Best Central Bank Governor for Asia 2007” in a recognition of the exceptional contribution, she has made to the overall financial sector and monetary policy management. Emerging Markets Magazine managing Director of an eminent publication presented the award to Dr. Shamshad Akhtar at a ceremony in Washington. The annual award is conferred by the magazine which performed outstandingly in the field in their countries after a rigorous review process by panelist input experts. The citation acknowledged the illustrious performance of the Governor in the field of monetary policy management. Finance Ministers, Governors of the Central Banks from several countries and senior officials of international financial institutions, who are in Washington for the annual World Bank-IMF meetings attended the event. Women Workers Exposed to Health Risks in Herat Factories The Safi fur and wool factory, in Herat city, western Afghanistan, has more than 350 female and 300 male workers who earn only 300 Afghanis (US$6) for their 48-hour, six-day week. The factory produces coats, jackets, hats and other garments for the European and North American markets. There are more than 1,500 women working in four such factories in Herat city. The air in the Safi processing plant is full of dust from dirty furs, which workers tear to pieces with their bare hands. Workers have to separate fur from goats' hair and weave sheep's wool without protective gloves or masks. Afghanistan 's Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA) said it would send a delegation to Herat to assess and report on the situation of female workers in factories there. According to Bashiri, a revised draft labour law has been submitted to the National Assembly for approval, which has "many benefits for female workers", including maternity leave, equal wages for men and women and a light working regime for women during pregnancy. According to Afghanistan's labour law, public and private employers should provide medical insurance to employees who work in hazardous environments. However, there are too many hurdles - including poor law enforcement institutions, lack of awareness about women's rights and conservative traditions - which constrict the law on paper with weak or no practical power. Almost all workers in factories in Herat province have no written contract with their employers, particularly in the private sector. Workers and employers have only verbal agreements, which do not cover medical and hazard insurance. In the past 12 months, seven women workers of the wool and fur factories in Herat have died due to respiratory diseases and chest infections, workers and Mohammad Ibrahim Ghafori, an official at the Safi factory, said. Workers' health problems have been compounded by their inability to afford medical checks and treatment. There is no legal imperative for employers to offer assistance to their workers in need of medical treatment. ILO Project for Women Empowerment To provide skill development opportunities to unemployed women in hospitality and tourism, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) here on October 19 th launched its project titled ‘Women Empowerment through Hotel Management Training.’ The launching ceremony, organized in collaboration with its implementing partner Hashoo Foundation, was attended by representatives of development and humanitarian organizations and a large number of girls who have already benefited from the project. Ministry of Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis, Secretary Malik Asif Hayat gave away certificates to as many as 56 successful trainees. The project is part of ILO’s country programme — ‘Women employment concerns and working conditions in Pakistan.’ Funded by Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the project aims to provide direct assistance to women to secure decent employment and improve the quantity and quality of employment with a view to promote their empowerment. The project, that began in June 2007, will provide free of cost training in hotel management to 318 women till March 2008. Targeting women aged 18 to 35 the programme will ensure free and safe accommodation and transportation to the beneficiaries coming from remote areas. Women & HR UNSC Calls for Boosting Women’s Role The Security Council has urged countries and the UN system to enhance women's participation in decision-making and to take specific steps to protect women and girls from gender-based violence during conflicts. In a presidential statement adopted at the end of a day-long open meeting on October 21 st, the Council noted the "constant underrepresentation of women in formal peace processes," and called for enhancing their role in matters related to the maintenance and promotion of peace and security. The 15-member body also expressed deep concern that gender-based violence, particularly rape, remain "pervasive, and in some situations have become systematic," despite calls for the protection of women and girls. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said "there is so much left to do - both for the United Nations and for Member States," to implement the provisions of resolution 1325 - the landmark document adopted by the Council in 2000 which stresses the importance of giving women equal participation and full involvement in peace and security matters and the need to increase their role in decision-making. Workshop on Sensitive Reporting through Gender Lens -- Why are Women Victimized at Home and Outside? The German Agency for Technical Co-operation, GTZ in collaboration with Social Welfare, Women's Development Department under its Women's Protection Project (WPP), has arranged a four-day workshop to train students of Mass Communication hailing from the University of the Punjab and other leading colleges of the City. The organizers aim to train Media Sciences students to improve and sensitise their reporting through a gender lens to provide better coverage to women who become victims of violence. The second day of the workshop titled 'Sensitive reporting through gender lens' concluded after an interactive session on Violence Against Women (VAW), with most in attendance agreeing in principle on the notion that violence increased as more women came out in the professional market but the solution lay in 'exposing yourself to situations with some precautions to pre-empt violence because exposure is the best teacher.' Humaira Hashmi conducted the third and fourth sessions on "Reasons underlying VAW" and "Types of VAW". Her presentation detailed that gender-based violence was prevalent at homes, work and marketplaces. She explained during her interactive session that VAW was a crime rampant in two forms: physical and psychological. The session highlighted the reasons behind domestic violence and the ways to prevent things from getting ugly. Domestic violence includes physical abuse, violence between spouses and 'patriarchal' abuse by husbands, brothers, and sons on the physical level and verbal abuses, maltreatment and intimidation on the psychological. Women had to face sexual harassment at workplaces that included insinuations sexual in nature, obscene comments, undesired physical contact, embarrassing comments, compromising invitations and requests for sexual favours. Another feature highlighted by the speaker was that psychological violence also included discriminatory attitudes like less pay, violation of privacy and Glass Ceiling Effects - women are denied higher posts due to gender stereotypes. A research highlighted that those prone to invite gender violence were women belonging to low socio-economic groups, were usually illiterate, financially dependant, younger and less exposed. Illiterate males from lower socio-economic groups, who are unemployed and financially burdened, are the ones who vent their frustration through violence, particularly against women. Books/Articles/Reports on Gender Title On the Margins: Violence Against Women with Disabilities. Research Report Written for the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation Author Naidu, E., Haffejee, S., Vetten, L. & Hargreaves, S. Publication Date April 2005 Publisher The Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation Short Summary Why are South African women with disabilities more vulnerable to violence than non-disabled women and experience it differently? To what extent do service providers recognise and respond to their needs? This report from a small-scale exploratory research project conducted in 2001 makes visible the nature and forms of violence against women with disabilities, their particular vulnerabilities to violence, and the barriers they confront accessing assistance. It finds that although both disabled and non-disabled women are subject to gender-based violence, women with disabilities have particular economic, social and psychological vulnerabilities to abuse. They are not only more vulnerable, but experience particular forms of abuse which are not yet fully understood and encapsulated in conventional definitions of gender-based violence, linked to their specific type of disability. Because of stigma, and social isolation, women with disabilities may endure violence for longer periods of time and are less able to escape abusive caregivers. Service providers, both government and non-government, do not have an adequate understanding of the experiences and needs of women with disabilities, and often deliver inadequate and inappropriate support. To transform their services providers should conceive of women with disabilities as citizens with rights and entitlements, rather than dependents in need of charity and special care. Complete Document http://www.csvr.org.za/papers/papdisab.htm

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I – Presidential Elections Musharraf’s Candidacy Pleas SC Seeks Way Out in Case of Martial Law The Supreme Court (SC) on 22 nd October asked Justice (Retd) Wajeehuddin Ahmed’s lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan to suggest a way out for the court in a situation where General Pervez Musharraf may go for martial law if the court decided against him in the two offices case and acceptance of his nomination papers by the Election Commission (EC).Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday of the 11-member SC bench said that “This is an extraordinary situation. Be realistic. What is the way out?” When Aitzaz asked the court to pronounce its verdict according to the Constitution and aspirations of the people, Justice Javed Iqbal, head of the 11-member bench, asked him if he wanted a decision based on the aspirations of the people or a decision based on constitutional provisions. “What’s the guarantee that whatever decision the court would take will be implemented?” Aitzaz said the SC had declared that the doctrine of necessity was history, adding that the Constitution opposed the running of an army officer for elections and he would prove it through arguments. Justice Ramday asked Aitzaz if the court could rule out imposition of Martial Law . He said that “it will be difficult for me to say that Martial Law is buried because a full court had ruled in 1988 that martial law had been buried forever but this was not the case”. Two offices till Nov 16: Aitzaz said that the Constitution allowed Musharraf to hold two offices till November 16, but he couldn’t contest elections for the office of President because there was no provision in the 17th Amendment for an army chief to participate in the election. He said that if the court decided against Musharraf, there was a complete process in the Constitution for the transition of power and the Senate chairman should take over as acting president on November 15 and hold the presidential election for the next term. Aitzaz said there was no room for imposition of martial law and the court should uphold the Constitution. He said the nation was in a state of civil war and it’s time the court saved the nation by giving a verdict according to the Constitution. Aitzaz said that articles 243, 244 and 245 of the Constitution clearly said that no armyman could take part in politics. He said that the Army Act also barred army officers from participating in politics. He said that General Musharraf is not qualified to contest the Presidential Election the day he had filed his nomination papers, therefore, he could not be declared a lawful candidate for the office. He said that the armed forces must remain under the control of the Federal Government, adding that every member of the armed forces was constitutionally bound to desist from political activities and serve only the Pakistan Army. The members of the bench are Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday, Justice Muhammad Nawaz Abbasi, Justice Faqir Muhammad Khokhar, Justice Javed Buttar, Justice Tassaddaque Hussain Jillani, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed, Justice Chuadhry Ijaz Ahmed, Justice Syed Jamshed Ali Shah and Justice Ghulam Muhammad Rabbani. Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday of the 11-member Supreme Court (SC) bench hearing the constitutional petitions challenging the acceptance of General Pervez Musharraf’s nomination papers by the Election Commission (EC), on October 23 rd said that the disqualification clauses given in the Constitution apply to a Presidential candidate at the time of filing of nomination papers , During the course of arguments by Justice (R) Wajeehuddin Ahmed’s lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan, Justice Ramday observed that Article 41 (2) of the Constitution, which described qualifications for the President, started with the sentence a person shall not be qualified for election as President unless he fulfills the conditions laid down in the Constitution for the office of President” . “Under this article no body shall be President unless qualified for election of President,” he said. Elaborating, he said that Article 41 (2) clearly stated that qualification and disqualification would apply on the candidate at the time of filing of the nomination papers and taking oath of the office. Justice Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmed said that President General Pervez Musharraf’s statement on doffing uniform, submitted before the court, was irrelevant and the court would not consider this document while deciding the case. Attorney-General Justice (Retd) Malik Muhammad Qayyum on October 29 th told the Supreme Court that Justice (Retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed’s petition against General Musharraf’s candidacy is not maintainable as no enforcement of any fundamental right is involved in it. He was submitting his arguments before a nine-member larger bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Javed Iqbal, hearing the identical petitions, challenging the candidature of General Musharraf for October 6 election for the office of the President. The Attorney-General contended that the jurisdiction of this court to entertain this petition was barred by Article 41(6) of the Constitution as the election of the President could not be questioned before any court. However, he said the petitioner has the remedy through moving high court to hear the case of disqualification for the presidential candidate. At this, Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, counsel for Justice (Retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed, said as to why the government did not raise this point when he was submitting his arguments for five days. He said he could have better answer to the points raised by the Attorney-General. Justice Javed Iqbal observed that a point could be raised anytime. Justice Ramday observed that it would not be correct to say that the electoral college could not elect President twice during its tenure as it had to elect President in case of his death or resignation. Ramday said : “If we say that Parliament cannot elect the President twice then there would be chaos and anarchy in the country, President could die or he could resign so what would be the situation then?” Presidential Watch Herald in its October 2007 Issue, published a feature on the history of Pakistan’s Presidential Elections. Facts and figures were provided in the feature. Following are some of them: The Long and the Short Field Marshal Ayub Khan was the longest serving President of the country. He spent 10 years and six months in the saddle. Ayub Khan took over as President on October 27, 1958, and stepped down from office on March 25, 1969. The man who came closest to Ayub Khan’s record was General Ziaul Haq, who assumed the office of President on September 16, 1978, and remained in power for another nine years and 11 months. Wasim Sajjad had the shortest tenure possible, after taking oath as President on December 2, 1997. He spent barely a month in office and quit on January 1, 1998. Among Military Presidents, General Yayha Khan’s rule was the shortest, lasting two years and nine months. Presidential Votes 1965: Field Marshall Ayub Khan won the country’s first Presidential Elections held in 1965, amid charges of rigging. His rival Mohtarama Fatima Jinnah posed a serious challenge to Ayub Khan, securing majority votes in some provinces. 1973: Chaudhry Fazl; Illahi of the Pakistan Peoples Party was the first President to be elected after the country adopted its third Constitution. 1988: Gulham Ishaq Khan took over as President days after General Ziaul Haq died in a plane crash in August 1988. Gulham Ishaq won the Presidential Elections held on December 13, 1988. 1993: His successor Farooq Laghair was declared elected after a contest with the interim President Wasim Sajjad in November 1993. 1997: Rafiq Tarrar, the man who took over from Leghari, polled the highest number of votes in the Presidential Election of December 31, 1997. 2004: General Pervez Musharraf succeeded in getting a nod from the Electoral College on January 1, 2004. Power Tools: Clipped and Unclipped Eighth Amendment: From 1985 onwards the President has been endowed with a Constitution weapon to bring wayward Prime Ministers and their Governments to heel. In fact, the passing of the Eighth Amendment by the Upper House of Parliament in the same year gave the President the right to dismiss the Government. The amendment also affected 19 clauses and sub-clauses of the Constitution, making the President more powerful than the Prime Minister. General Ziaul Haq was the first President to invoke those powers when he dismissed the Government of Prime Minister Mohammad Khan Junejo in May 1988. The same amendment was invoked at least here more times in the 1990s, first by Gulham Ishaq Khan and then by Farooq Leghari. Thirteenth Amendment: In 1997, the Government of Nawaz Sharif adopted the Thirteenth Amendment in an attempt to curtail the powers of the President. Though the move faced the resignation of Leghari, it sparked off a judicial crisis and political turmoil. Seventeenth Amendment: The National Assembly adopted the Seventeenth Amendment on December 29, 2003, giving General Pervez Musharraf a constitutional license to hold both the office of President and Chief of Army Staff. The move paved the way for his election three days later. II – General Elections 2007/08 Electoral Rolls/Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) 28 Million ‘Missing’ Voters Found Election Commission of Pakistan has issued a "final list" of voters, putting the electorate at 80 million, an increase of 28 million from the first draft list published in June. The Election Commission published computerized electoral rolls across the country as per Section 16 of the Electoral Rolls Act 1974, reads with Rule 15 of the Electoral Rolls Rules, 1974. ECP Secretary Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad said that the lists of electoral rolls contained 80,000,000 voters as compare to previous 57,900,000 voters. He informed that the ECP has started work to prepare electoral rolls from July last year. He said that the next General Election in the country would be in the focus of whole world and the political parties should cooperate with the ECP to hold them in free and fair atmosphere. He also requested political parties to emphasize on their manifestoes rather than indulging in blame game. He said the political parties have been provided with draft code of conduct and a final document would be evolved in their presence. EC Urged to Put Voters’ List on Website The Pakistan People’s Party has asked the Election Commission to put the updated voters’ list on its website before printing them for scrutiny by political parties. The demand was made by the PPP’s Election Monitoring Cell after a meeting here on October 12. The meeting was presided over by the coordinator of the cell, Senator Sardar Latif Khosa, and attended by MPA Amir Fida Piracha, Palwasha Behram and Sheikh Mansoor. PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the meeting decided that Senator Khosa would raise the issue before the Supreme Court to direct the ECP to place the list on its website before their printing. The ECP is updating the list on the directive of the Supreme Court on the petition of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto. The PPP had termed the draft electoral rolls for 2007 parliamentary elections faulty after finding that the names of 20 million eligible voters were missing as compared to the electoral rolls used in the October 2002 polls. The ECP now has claimed that as directed by the Supreme Court, it has been working on updating the electoral rolls. The PPP, however, has demanded that the list be placed on the website so that the political parties could verify the claims made by the ECP. The PPP’s Election Monitoring Cell also decided to coordinate with the party organizations of all four provinces to ensure that all candidates conducted door-to-door verification in their respective constituencies. ECP Urged to Implement Electoral Reforms A civil society organization on Monday urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to implement administrative and procedural reforms to ensure free and fair elections in the country. In a statement, the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) said the ECP needed to implement significant administrative and procedural reforms in the light of experiences and lessons learned from the past elections. Some of the reforms proposed by the CPDI include: One of the most important reforms that the ECP needs to undertake is regarding its monitoring and oversight mechanism for the code of conduct. Past experience tells us that the code of conduct is frequently violated by all political contestants with impunity, while the ECP miserably fails to take any effective action against the violators. The commission needs to give a serious consideration to this problem, and must inform the stakeholders about how it would be handling complaints and ensuring compliance with the code of conduct during the next General Elections. The monitoring and implementation mechanism established for the next elections should be transparent, efficient, credible and effective; and violators must be severely punished without any exception. Serious problems have also been noticed in the past in relation to the electoral rolls. The new computerized electoral rolls are not likely to address these problems, as the new rolls would include many unverified voters from the 2002 rolls which were widely known for including bogus and double entries. It said the new electoral rolls must be made available on the website, so that individual voters as well as political parties and civil society organizations could have access to them. This would improve transparency of electoral rolls and help in identifying the potential problems by the public. Furthermore, many politicians and civil society observers have frequently complained about the late notification of or last minute changes to the polling schemes. It is suspected that such delays or last-minute changes are often deliberate, and are meant to benefit favourite candidates. Code of Conduct for General Elections Draft Code of Conduct for General Elections The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on October 24 th released a draft code of conduct for the General Elections. Addressing a press conference, Secretary ECP Kanwar Dilshad said copies of the draft Code of Conduct have been sent to more than 90 political parties registered with the ECP and they have been advised to suggest amendments by November 3. Following are some of the provisions under the proposed Code of Conduct: Ministers will be barred from combining their official visits with election campaign. The parties and their candidates shall not hold public meetings or rallies on main streets, roads and chowks to avoid traffic jams and inconvenience to the public. The party or candidate shall inform the local administration of the venue and time of any proposed meeting well in time to enable police to make arrangements for controlling traffic and maintaining law and order. The limit of election expenses has been proposed at Rs1.5 million and Rs1 million for National and Provincial Assembly seats, respectively. No person or party will be allowed to affix larger posters, hoardings, banners or leaflets than the prescribed size. The commission has prescribed the maximum size of posters as 2ft-x-3ft, hoardings 3ft-x-5ft, banners 3ft x 9ft and leaflets and handbills nine inches-x-six inches. The local authorities and returning officers will be responsible for implementation of the restriction. No advertisement, notice or announcement paid for from public funds will carry explicit or implicit reference, name, designation or photograph of any public functionary or holder of a state or public office to project himself as the originator, sponsor, promoter or organizer of any scheme, project, progress, ideology or vision. Issue of advertisement at the cost of public exchequer in the newspapers and other media and misuse of official mass media during for partisan coverage of political news and publicity regarding achievements with a view to furthering the prospects of the party in power will be avoided. Processions shall not be taken out by one party along places at which meetings are being held by another party. Posters affixed by one party shall not be removed nor distribution of handbills and leaflets prevented by workers of another party. The first clause of the draft states: “The political parties shall not propagate any opinion, or act in any mannerprejudicial to the ideology of Pakistan, or the sovereignty, integrity or security of Pakistan, or morality, or the maintenance of public order, or the integrity or independence of the judiciary of Pakistan, or which defames or brings into ridicule the judiciary or the armed forces of Pakistan, as provided under Article 63 of the Constitution.” Criticismof other political parties, when made, shall be confined to their policies and programmes, past record and work. Parties and candidates shall refrain from criticism of all aspects of private life, not connected with the public activities of the leaders or workers of other parties. Criticism based on unverified allegations or distortion shall be avoided. All parties and candidates shall avoid scrupulously all activities which are “corrupt practices” and offences under the election laws such bribing, intimidation and impersonation of voters, canvassing within 400 yards of a polling station and holding public meetings during the last 48 hours before polling. Political parties and candidates have been asked to restrain their workers from exerting undue pressure against the print and electronic media, including newspaper offices and printing presses, or resorting to violence of any kind against the media. The parties and candidates have also been asked to refrain from making comments or commit any act which may prejudice Pakistan’s foreign relations. Controversial and harsh remarks about leaders of other countries and their ideologies shall be avoided. Code for Elections – Analysis by The News The Election Commission's proposed code of conduct for the forthcoming General Election has both its good and bad points. To a great extent, it is also a repetition of previous poll codes and would be seen by many as an exercise that the Commission must fulfill as part of a legal and electoral formality. Some of the recommendations that deserve praise include the guideline for political parties not to enter into any kind of cooperative agreement which ends up barring women from participating in the election, either as candidates or as voters. While the point is well taken and indeed worthy, the fact of the matter is that in the last General Election as well as in local bodies elections, such agreements were entered into by various political parties in some of the more conservative and patriarchal parts of the country. Such cooperation was in many cases widely reported in the national media but, disappointingly, no action of any kind was taken against the perpetrators of such illegal acts. One hopes that this time around the Election Commission will be more stringent in its monitoring of such cabals which seek to disenfranchise half of the voting population. The directive to political parties not to incite emotions that could lead to sectarian or parochial tensions is also timely. While there seems to be no real independent mechanism to ensure that political parties do not indulge in this, it would be good if the heads of all parties were themselves to agree to this point and they could do so by impressing upon their activists and supporters that the correct and honourable way to fight an election is by focusing on issues and that criticism that attacks issues and policies is far more preferable than one which attacks individuals. There is then the issue of limits on spending by candidates. The problem is that the commission has so far not done anything on the spending already being done by some likely candidates -- particularly Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi -- who are using their current official position and access to state finances to pay for extravagant advertising campaigns to eulogise them and to tell voters how good their time in public office has been for the general public. Failure on the part of the EC to check this misuse of taxpayers' money seriously undermines the government's oft-stated claim that it is committed to providing a level-playing field to all political parties. Perhaps the main negative point about the proposed election code is its suggestion that political rallies be curbed because of security considerations. As the tragic events of October 18 amply show, security should be a major concern, but to use it to curb political rallies suggests a bureaucratic attitude. It also misses the point that the heart of any election campaign is the holding of such events because without them it would be difficult for a party to mobilize and motivate its vote-bank. Since the country's political scene has suffered immensely because of military intervention, political parties must be allowed to mobilize their voters and curbs on them in this regard will be tantamount to giving in to the wishes of anti-democratic forces. Interim Set-up Caretaker Setup on November 15 Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani has said on November 16 that the Caretaker Prime Minister and provincial Chief Ministers will assume charge on November 15, and the incumbent provincial Governors will continue to discharge their constitutional duties till the formation of a new Government. The caretaker set-up will consist of non-political individuals whose main task will be to ensure free and fair elections, He said the caretaker PM and Chief Ministers will be appointed after consultation with opposition parties, adding that the Government has sought their proposals in this regard. Durrani predicted that President General Pervez Musharraf will form the Government again after General Elections with the help of the PML and new coalition partners. Negotiations are underway with political parties under the recently promulgated NRO, he added. Possible Names for Caretaker PM Eminent politician Hamid Nasir Chatta and Former State Bank Governor Dr , Ishrat Hussain are actively being considered for the slot of Caretaker Prime Minister by the camps of President Pervez Musharraf and PPP. The PPP has strongly recommended the name of Hamid Nasir Chatta for the above said post while PML-Q proposed the name of former SBP Governor Dr. Ishrat Hussain. The PML-Q has also put forward the name of Hafeez Sheikh for caretaker PM, but the close aides of the President are keen to adjust him in Sindh. Both sides have shown soft corner for Hamid Nasir Chatta, but if the Government deemed it fit to have a non-political person, the best choice would be Dr. Ishrat as the PPP has not shown any reservations, so far, against the idea of appointing him as Caretaker PM. While it was reported on October 22 nd in The News that the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has floated the name of Makhdoom Amin Fahim , while the presidency has proposed National Security Council (NSC) Secretary Tariq Aziz for the slot of the Caretaker Prime Minister. The PPP team told the government's negotiators that the party could provide alternative names in case some of the ruling coalition partners opposed Fahim's appointment as the Caretaker Premier. However, alternative names were not disclosed by the PPP negotiators. Fahim and former FIA Chief Rehman Malik are representing the PPP and Tariq Aziz is negotiating on behalf of General Musharraf in the fresh round of secret talks between the two sides in Islamabad. "Besides Tariq Aziz, some others people from the government are also negotiating. However, most of the opposition parties have already rejected the idea of the government to hold PML-Q sponsored APC. But they have hinted that they could reconsider the option to participate in the APC if hosted by ECP. On October 23 rd, it was reported in Daily Khabrain that it has been negotiated between PPP and Presidency that PPP would not resist if Tariq Aziz would be nominated as the Caretaker PM. The government has tasked some ministers with holding talks with PML-N and other political parties to extend the reconciliation process to all parties besides PPP, and reach a general consensus on the caretaker government. Caretaker Ministers can Contest Elections There will be no constitutional ban on Federal and Provincial Caretaker Ministers to contest the forthcoming General Elections. However, the interim Prime Minister and Chief Minister will be ineligible to fight the Parliamentary polls under the Constitution. But the caretaker Premier and the Chief Ministers can be the candidates in the by-polls to be held after the General Elections. PML-President Chaudhary Shujaat said on October 24 th that PPP would not be given a major share in the interim government. He ruled out that the PPP would be given maximum ministries during the interim setup. President Pervez Musharraf is likely to announce the caretaker setup on November 13, the last day of the Shaukat Aziz-led government, to run the affairs just two days before the National Assembly completes its five years term on November 15, According to reliable sources, the top leadership has indicated to dissolve the government on November 13 and it has also been communicated to the Federal Ministries and Government Departments about the likely decision. National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) PPP ‘Engaging Musharraf for Orderly Transition’ The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on October 9 th defended its engagement with President General Pervez Musharraf, saying that negotiations with him were aimed at an orderly transition to democracy and civilian rule in the country rather than for personal benefits. PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said in a statement that the party’s goal was to set the course for a successful transition to democracy and to politically counter extremist forces. About the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), Babar said that it was a broad package of reforms for facilitating a transition to democracy. He said that its very preamble acknowledges the abuses that have occurred under the dictatorship by stating that it is expedient to promote national reconciliation, foster mutual trust and confidence amongst holders of public office and remove the vestiges of political vendetta and victimization and to make the electoral process more transparent.He further said that through the NRO the PPP had won, for all politicians, a promise from General Musharraf to doff his military uniform, ensure transparent elections and avoid political victimization. NRO and the Constitution of Pakistan Experts say that general amnesty, granted to a certain category of public office holders through the recently-promulgated National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), is alien to the Constitution of Pakistan. Additionally, the NRO clashes with Article 25 “equality of citizens” of the Constitution, which says that all citizens are equal before the law and are entitled to equal protection of law; there shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex alone; and nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any special provision for the protection of women and children. “Equality of citizens” is listed in the fundamental rights of the Constitution. Any law that superior courts find clashing with any of the basic rights so enumerated is always instantly shot down by them. However, if a fundamental right is to be scrapped from the Constitution, an amendment will have to be made through a two-thirds parliamentary majority. But this will be stretching the argument to retain the NRO too far as no government, civil or military, can afford to undo any of the constitutionally-guaranteed fundamental right. Keeping in view of the standing and the position of different political parties in the run-up the next General Elections, hardly any one of them, including the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is likely to get a two-thirds majority in the Parliament. However, if a government resorts to amend the Constitution to keep intact a certain law, clashing with a fundamental right, with the purpose of benefiting a specific category of people, the legislation would definitely be struck down by the courts as they don’t allow changes in the basic structure of the Constitution. Not only a large number of lawyers but many ruling coalition leaders firmly believe that the NRO will be struck down by superior courts in the next few days. A number of petitions have already been filed in superior courts praying that the NRO should be declared null and void for being violative of the Constitution. Legality of NRO Challenged in SC Insaf Welfare Trust Chairman Dr Aslam Khaki on October 8 th requested the Supreme Court to declare as unjust the recently promulgated National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) 2007 for being a corrupt deal that violates the fundamental rights of the people. A five-page petition said that the scenario and political environment in which the ordinance has been promulgated clearly speak about the ‘political deal’ on power sharing and not on national reconciliation. This is the third such petition filed before the apex court as well as the Lahore High Court seeking adjudication against the legality of the ordinance. The petitioners said that the ordinance ‘patently and manifestly’ violated Article 25 of the Constitution because it provided for withdrawal of cases only against holders of public offices. In his petition, Dr Aslam Khaki pleaded that the ordinance was against the fundamental rights of the people as envisaged in Article 2A (Objective Resolution to form part of the Constitution), 4 (right of individual to be dealt with in accordance with the law) and 25 (equality of citizens) besides Article 31 (Islamic way of life). He pleaded that selective amnesty could never be granted under the law besides the general public, intelligentsia, media and even politicians have raised their concern over the law. The ordinance provides for general amnesty for corrupt politicians and bureaucrats, he contended. SC Verdict to be Respected: Durrani Federal Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani has said that National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) is a part of law however if it is challenged in the court then we will respect its verdict. While, He said that the Government successfully divided the opposition by promulgating the NRO on the eve of Presidential Elections. Replying to a question, he said following the successful holding of Presidential Elections, the Government will continue to hold dialogues with all the opposition parties. He said that the NRO has become a ground reality and no one could deny it. Responding to another question regarding Nawaz Sharif, Durrani said that we would not violate the agreement that was made between the two countries nor will take any step, which is against the agreement. Durrani further said that according to the ordinance, only those cases that are pending in courts since last fifteen years have been abolished. Speedy justice for MQM under NRO Working at an astounding speed, the Review Board for Sindh, set up under the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), has already cleared for quashing almost 2,500 cases against the top leadership of the MQM, including its Chief Altaf Hussain. The entire Muttahida leadership, along with more than 2,000 others, will stand exonerated of a multitude of alleged serious crimes, including murder, if the recommendations of the Review Board are implemented. A top official said while the vast majority of cases cleared by the RBS belong to the MQM, there are also a small number of beneficiaries belonging to the Pakistan Peoples Party, the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the Punjabi Pakhtoon Ittehad (PPI). However, the recommendations of the board, headed by Justice (Retd) Dr Ghous Muhammad, a retired high court judge, await the approval of the Provincial Chief Minister. But most importantly even after his approval, these recommendations can be implemented only after the Supreme Court’s final decision on the legality and constitutionality of the NRO. The Chairman of the RBS, Justice (Retd) Dr Ghous Muhammad, when contacted, confirmed to The News that almost 2,000-2,500 criminal cases had been recommended to be dropped while 355 cases had been rejected so far. Prosecutor General, Sindh, Rana Muhammad Shamim, said that the beneficiaries include Altaf Hussain, Dr Farooq Sattar, Kanwar Khalid Younis, Wasim Akhtar and Dr Imran Farooq. Rana Shamim said that the cases recommended by the RBS related to offences like murder, sniper firing, rioting, dacoity, possession of unlicensed arms, etc. He confirmed that the vast majority of the cases cleared so far involved the MQM leadership or its workers. But the prosecutor general hastened to add that the recommended cases generally pertained to “blind FIRs”. Blind FIRs, he clarified, were those in which the accused were named without any evidence. Asked about the type of cases recommended for abolition against the MQM chief, the provincial prosecutor general said that Altaf Hussain was in the category of “absconders”. Return of Exiled Leaders Benazir Returns Home Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ended eight years of self-imposed exile on October 18 th, being greeted by hundreds of thousands of jubilant supporters as she led a homecoming parade through Karachi. She was accompanied by PPP leaders Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Yusuaf Raza Gillani, Naheed Khan, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Shah Mohammed Qureshi and others. The 54-year-old two-time Former Prime Minister, who flew in from Dubai, said she was fighting for democracy and to help Pakistan defeat the extremism that gave it the reputation as a hotbed of international terrorism. She said that it is not the real image of Pakistan. The people that you see outside are the real image of Pakistan. These are the decent and hardworking middle-classes and working classes of Pakistan who want to be empowered so they can build a moderate, modern nation. Ms Bhutto said she doubted the Supreme Court Judges would stop either the Presidential Election or the National Reconciliation Ordinance, but acknowledged her talks with Musharraf had a way to go. Sucide Attacks on the Rally: At least 139 people were killed and hundreds injured as suspected suicide bombers targeted Benazir Bhutto on her return. Two explosions went off a minute apart shortly after midnight near Karsaz close to the vehicle Ms Bhutto was travelling in, at the head of a procession of hundreds of thousands of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) supporters who had flooded the streets of Karachi to welcome the return of their leader. Karachi senior police official Azhar Farooqui told that the blasts hit two police vehicles which were escorting the truck carrying Ms Bhutto. The target was the truck. Blasts were Attack on Democracy: Benazir Bhutto said on October 19 th that the suicidal blasts during her homecoming parade were ‘an attack on democracy, and an attack on the very unity and integrity of Pakistan’.Wearing a black armband to mourn the lives lost in the attacks, Benazir told a press conference at Bilawal House that three people were responsible for the attack . Benazir said that her sources had informed her that police commandoes would be used for the next attempt on her life near Bilawal House in Karachi or in Naudero, Larkana. The former premier said that a “brotherly country” had informed her in advance about the attacks, but she didn’t identify the country by name. She added that under the conspiracy, the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) would have been blamed for the attack in Karachi. She said that Al Qaeda, Taliban or any other group may make an attempt on her life but she made it clear that the three persons, who she did not name, should be held responsible for any such attack. To a question, Benazir vowed that she would live in Pakistan despite threats to her life. However she’ll go abroad for lectures and to see my children. An investigator said that the police took three people in for questioning on October 20 th. The men were linked to a car from which an attacker threw a grenade in Karachi, seconds before a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people. President of PML (Q) Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said that PPP itself hatched the conspiracy of the blasts on October 18 in which over 140 innocent people had died and almost 500 sustained injuries. Talking to a private TV channel onOctober 22 nd, Shujaat alleged that the explosion were plotted by Asif Ali Zardari while the plot was manipulated by Benazir herself with the help of secondary leadership of the party. This was the reason that Benazir went into the lower part of the truck and no PPP office-holder was killed or critically wounded. He further said that the PPP exploited the situation to earn sympathies across the world. Nawaz made to Delay Return till Nov 7 The pressure that Musharraf is mounting on Nawaz Sharif through the US to stop him from returning home touched its peak on October 17 when Saad Hariri and Prince Bandar continued convincing the latter till 1:00 am (Saudi time) at the Sharif Palace in Jeddah to change his decision. Nawaz had no option but to again bow to the messages from Riyadh and Washington and gave his word that he would not leave Saudi Arabia till November 7 and asked the representatives of both the capitals that they would not visit him again with the same request after this date. According to the source, the purpose of Musharraf's request was to stop Nawaz from coming home till the decision of the Supreme Court on his candidature for presidential election. He concluded that Musharraf was very much keen to keep both the mainstream politicians (Nawaz and Benazir) away from the country till the court verdict so that he could face no issue in "doing things" according to his own will in case of an unfavourable verdict. The officer said Musharraf considered massive public gatherings as a threat for his plans. The officer further claimed that any delay in Nawaz's return after November 7 would be his own decision or some political maneuvering. He said if Nawaz didn't return to Pakistan till mid-November, it would mean the Sharifs had done another deal with the Musharraf camp. EU Demanded the Return of All Exiled Leaders Including Nawaz Sharif On October 25 th, European Union (EU), in a resolution, has asked the Pakistani Government to make sure the return of all exiled leaders including Nawaz Sharif before elections. Political Parties’ News Khar Quit PPP Former Governor and Central Leader of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Malik Ghulam Mustafa Khar has quit PPP terming the 'reconciliation' of Benazir Bhutto with the military dictator as the darkest thing in country's political history. He said so far he hadn't finalized the plan to join any other party but the parties including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) are under consideration. He said that he was disappointed with Benazir's politics. He said that he did his best to keep Benazir on the right path but her unwise decisions had exposed her intentions Babar Quits PPP in Protest over Deal Former Interior Minister and close confidante of Benazir Bhutto, Major General (R) Nasirullah Babar, is to quit the PPP as mark of protest against the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) . He has decided not to contest the forthcoming elections from the PPP platform. Instead of shifting loyalties to another party, he has decided to say goodbye to the politics of compromise. He said that I would not contest the next polls from the PPP platform. Shaukat to Spearhead PML Election Campaign As the General Elections are drawing nearer and the Federal as well as Provincial Governments are spending the last days of their luster, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) has evolved a strategy to contest the upcoming General Elections under Shaukat Aziz portraying him as vanguard of the election campaign. The main concentration of the League would be on Punjab where the outgoing Chief Minister Perviaiz Elahi will be major supporting element in the campaign for Shaukat Aziz. Fazlur Rehman Annoyed with Qazi Secretary General of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) and JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Raham said on October 21 st that he is very much angry with MMA Chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad. He said that I am very much angry with Qazi Hussain Ahmad and the differences have been intensified. Almost all the member parties of MMA are with me and they fully support my stand whereas Qazi Hussain Ahmad has been isolated. Fazl was of the view that the time has proved that the JUI decision of not tendering resignations of its MPs in NWFP was a right decision. Court Declares PP(S)-Patriots Merger as PPP Illegal A Division Bench of Sindh High Court on 25 th October declared illegal the merger of PPP (Sherpao) and PPP Patriots as Pakistan Peoples Party. A constitutional petition of Pakistan Peoples Party’c Chairperson Benazir Bhutto was filed by her counsel, Senator Farooq H. Naek in this regard. The petitioner challenged the powers of ECP for allowing such a merger and registering the two groups under the name of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Naek submitted that the PPP was formed by Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and it has great vote bank in the Country. It has always been contesting general elections symbols of “sword or arrow”. He further submitted that the merger of the Patriots and PPP-Sherpao in the name of PPP was illegal and was meant to damage the original PPP led by Benazir Bhutto. All Parties’ Democratic Movement (APDM) Fazl Sees No Future for APDM, Wants MMA Kept Intact The JUI (F) Party’s Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on October 8 th that his Party doesn’t see any future for the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM), but will like the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal to remain intact and play a better political role. He told that his party was part of the APDM in its individual capacity, not as a member of the MMA. Therefore, he said, it would review its relationship with the coalition because of the latter’s role in the NWFP Assembly. Answering a question, Maulana Fazl said so far the JUI (F) had been trying to ensure that the MMA had a common stand on all issues. However, in view of the requirements of the new situation this policy would also be revised. The Maulana indicated that his Party would now decide whether to have a separate stand on various issues or go by the MMA’s policy. He was critical of the APDM parties for tendering resignation from the NWFP Assembly at a time when a no-confidence motion had been tabled against Chief Minister Akram Durrani, who belongs to the JUI (F). He said the initiative was against the political traditions of the province, and it was not morally justifiable for anyone to leave the allies in difficult situations. JUI-F may Leave APDM for Role in Interim Set-Up After receiving a green signal from power corridors, Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s JUI may part ways with the APDM and ask the MMA to follow its line if the alliance is to be saved. Fazlur Rehman, who is already grumbling about resignations from the elected houses, will make last ditch efforts to save the MMA from disintegration provided Qazi Hussain Ahmed agrees to vacate the position of the MMA’s presidentship. As the differences between Qazi and Fazl are at the climax, Fazl has not closed the doors for an alliance, through formal or informal arrangements, with Pakistan People’s Party that is being considered as favourite as Washington and General Pervez Musharraf are backing it. The JUI-F is all set to take final decisions in its two-day Majlis-e-Shura meeting starting from October 25 here on the post-resignations scenario that involves Caretaker Governments, future with APDM and the MMA, and how to get maximum number of seats in the coming General Elections. According to sources, Fazlur Rehman will continue to bargain with the government till the last moment by using the APDM and the MMA. “When arrangements are finalized with the Government, he will formally say goodbye to his allies in both the alliances.” To a question, the sources in the JUI-F viewed that Fazl was happy over the recent contacts made by the government. “He seems satisfied and the opposition parties will be used as a bargaining chip.” Nominations Hassanabdal: PPPP Chooses New Faces Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarian (PPPP) has announced its candidates for NA-59 and PP-17 respectively, subject to approval by the Party’s High Command. The Party nominated Sardar Saleem Haider for the National Assembly seat former Tehsil Nazim Fatehjang, Sardar Iftikhar Khan for the Punjab Assembly seat. Sardar Ishtiaq Khan and Sadar Mushtair Khan would be the back-up candidates. NA-51 – Nomination by PML-Q Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhary Pervez Elahi has announced that Qasim Javed Ikhlas would be the candidate of PML-Q for the NA-51 Rawalpindi. Nawabzada Mohsin to Contest for NA, PA Seats from Karak Former Provincial Minister Nawabzada Mohsin Ali Khan is trying to stage a come-back in politics by deciding to contest election for both the National Assembl (NA-15 Karak) and the NWFP Assembly (PF-41 Karak) from Karak District. Mohsin who is son-in-law of former NWFP Governor and Federal Minister Mohammad Aslam Khattak, did not contest the General Elections in 2002. Mohsin has been drifting from one political party to another in his career. His last party was Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf. He remained President of the Party in the NWFP for sometime before becoming fed up with Imran’s style of politics. He did not join any party after that and is hoping to fight the upcoming elections as an independent. ANP Forms Body to Select Candidates for Polls Awami National Party (ANP) District Mardan Chapter constituted a committee to recommend the names of the candidates for the seats of national and provincial assemblies in the upcoming General Elections.The District Committee would discuss the names of candidates with their party workers at union council level and present its report to the District Party’s organization. The District organizations would later send their recommendations to the Provincial President and Central leadership, who would take the final decision. The meeting asked the interested candidates to send their applications for the national and provincial assemblies seats to the party before October 27 th. The candidates will have to deposit Rs. 10,000 for the National Assembly and Rs. 5,000 for the Provincial Assembly along with their applications. The candidates on minority seats and reserved seats for women were asked to deposit Rs. 25,000 along their applications. Dr. Muhammad Amjad Likely PML Candidate for NA-49 PML-Q sources have said that the PML-Q top leaders and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz are considering President PML-Q Islamabad Dr. Muhammad Amjad for the party ticket from NA-49. PML-Q President Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain had already showed his confidence in Dr. Muhammad Amjad. The PML-Q Federal Capital General Council has already approved him as candidate. The sources said that party position in this Constituency is not very good. From the Constituency, Azeem Chaudhary, City President Rizwan Saidq Khan, Cultural Wing President Zafar Bakhtawari and ex-State Minister Dr. Shahzad Waseem have submitted their applications for the Party ticket. JI Announces Names of Candidates The Jamaat-i-Islami has announced the names of its candidates for one National and two Provincial assembly seats of Chitral for the forthcoming General Elections. Addressing a press conference, the amir of the Chitral chapter of the JI, Maulana Ghulam Mohammad, said the District Executive Committee of the party had selected two people for each seat. He said that former MNA Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali and Niaz Ahmed advocate had been selected for the NA seat. He said that for the Provincial Assembly constituency, PF-89 Chitral-I, Maulana Ghulam Mohammad and Hidayatullah would be the candidates while for PF-90 Chitral-II Maulana Javed Hussain and Zahiruddin (President of the Chitral Press Club) would be candidates of the party. Narowal Politicians Launch Electioneering In the politics of Narowal district, three major personalities are so much cautious for the forthcoming general elections. Ch Anwar Aziz, a powerful and influential politician, Ibrarul Haq, a famous singer and an interesting personality Mehdi Khan, 100-year-old politician. They are not contesting election but working hard for their near and dear ones: Chaudhry Anwar Aziz for Daniyal Aziz, Ibrarul Haq for Maj. (Retd) Israrul Haq and Mehdi Khan for Nasir Khan, respectively, for their smooth win. Bhattis Seem Stronger than Tarars in Hafizabad Bhatti Brothers in District Hafizabad are struggling to maintain their dominancy in two constituencies. Chaudhry Mehdi Hassan Bhatti and Chaudhry Liaquat Abbas Bhatti, agriculturists by profession, were elected from NA-102 and NA-103 from the platform of PML-Q in previous election. Mehdi Hassan Bhatti secured 50,824 votes whereas his opponents Brig (R) Mohammad Usman Tarar from PML-N 43,218 votes, Ahmed Balal Tarar from PPP 15,097 votes, Tajamal Hafeez from Pakistan Awami Tehrik 1,192 votes and independent candidate Ch Shaukat Ali Bhatti 477 votes. In NA-102, two major Bradaries are dominating Bhatti's and Tarar's. The previous result indicated that Bhatti benefited against Tarar family. In the upcoming elections, Ch Afzal Hussain Tarar, a close relative of Rafique Ahmed Tarar, former president of Pakistan, is considered to be the toughest candidate because he claimed to get 40,000 of the PML-N. Chan, Bosal Likely to Fight Tooth and Nail in Next Polls The two old political rivals of Mandi Bahauddin, Chan Family and Bosal Family seemed to be active in the local politics for possible win of their aspiring candidates before the General Election. Haji Muhammad Afzal Chan is leading the Chan Family whereas Nawaz Bosal and Iqbal Bosal are commanding the Bosal Family. In NA-109, Major (R) Zulfiqar Ali Gondal who elected from PPP seat is known to be a favorite candidate due to the support of Chan family. Though Bradriism is dominating in the area, because Gondals’ are in majority, but strong Bosals, who have good track recor, could not be ignored. They introduced Nasir Bosal, PML-Q son of former MNA Iqbal Bosal and Nephew of former MNA Muhammad Nawaz Bosal. A very interesting and tough contest will be expected in the Constituency because Bosal family has a support of pre-government elements in the District. DG Khan: PPP’s Mansoor may Pose Threat to Farooq Leghari Dera Ghazi Khan, the land of Baloch tribes, has multi-dimensional politics. Legharis and Khosas are old political rivals over the years. Former President Sardar Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari would contest election for his sixth consecutive term. Traditionally, Khosa tribes nominate their own candidate against Farooq Leghari, a seasoned politician. But this time polo-lover will face his cousin Sardar Mansoor Ahmed Khan Leghari of PPP in NA-172. Sardar Mansoor Ahmed Khan Leghari, a former Senator, who left the country eight years ago, has come back to contest the election from the PPP platform. His younger brother, Sardar Maqsood Ahmed Khan Leghari, is the district Nazim and he will enjoy his full support. According to PPP workers, former Prime Minister and PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto is expected to pay a visit to Dera Ghazi Khan, following the election campaign of her nominee in the month of November against former Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari who is the chief of Leghari tribes in the area and known to be a strong candidate. PPP Punjab President Shah Mehmod Qureshi held a secret meeting with PML-N leader Sardar Zulfiqar Khan Khosa to convince him not to field his candidate in NA-172, also seeking his support for this seat. They are, however, yet to finalise a deal under which the PPP will extend support to two sons of Khosa Saif-ud-Din Khosa and Dost Muhammad Khosa for provincial seats in return for backing Sardar Mansoor Ahmed Khan Leghari against Farooq Leghari. A tough contest is expected in this constituency because Khosas and Legharis are major dominating tribes. In NA-171, Khawaja Sheraz Mehmood, who was elected in his first term on PML-Q ticket, seems in trouble in the next elections. His cousin Khawaja Ghulam Niazam has announced to contest on MMA ticket, former MPA Khawaja Dawar Subhan as an independent candidate and PPP District President Khawaja Nasir Mehmood on his party ticket. These candidates will divide the votes of Khawajas. Four tribes, Qiasrani, Buzdar, Malghani and Khetran, are very important in this constituency. On the other hand, Sardar Amjad Khan Khosa of PML-N is being considered to be a strong candidate against young Khawaja Sheraz Mehmood. Khawajas are basically custodians of Khawaja Ghulam Mohyuddin and people give them great respect. But in the game of politics Qaisranis are very strong in the region because nobody can achieve the target without their support. Last time Khawaja Sheraz Mehmood was elected against a prominent candidate with the support of Qaisranis. Sardar Amjad Khan Khosa is very confident this time because he has full support of the Qiasrani tribe. Khawaja Sheraz will have to struggle against his own relatives as well as Khosas to win the election. Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari was elected from NA-173 on the ticket of Millat Party which was, later, merged into PML-Q in 2002 general elections. This constituency is becoming rather mysterious as other parties are yet to finalize their candidates. Ban on Rallies Ban on Rallies Proposed The Government has worked out a 10-point security plan for the election campaign, which recommends ban on large rallies and processions whereas the political parties can hold public meetings only after being allowed by the relevant official quarters The security plan was presented here during a high-level meeting on law and order, which was Chaired by the Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. Interiot Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, Secretary Interior Syed Kamal Shah and other senior officials of law enforcement agencies attended the meeting. The Prime Minister directed the law enforcement agencies to improve the plan and in this regard take all possible steps including consultations with all the political parties. Following are some of the major points mentioned in the security plan: There would be ban on large rallies and processions altogether. The parties could hold public meetings after getting permission 10 days prior to any such event. For holding public meetings on limited scale, the parties would have to inform and seek permission of District Nazims or DCOs or both, if required. As for public meetings on large scale, the permission of Provincial Governments must also be sought. The parties would be given license for large public meetings that could be cancelled at any time, if needed, by the relevant official quarters. The law enforcement agencies must ensure their presence at the venues of public meetings and without that no such events would be allowed. Screening gates would be installed at the places where such meetings would be held. The venues for public meetings would be identified prior to holding of such events in every city and usage of no other place would be allowed for the purpose. According to an official statement, Prime Minister Aziz while addressing the meeting directed the police and law enforcement agencies to bring all possible improvements in the security plan for the upcoming General Elections to ensure safety of all political leaders and the people. The Prime Minister emphasized that the security plan should not restrict the political activities carried out within the ambit of law. Security plans for all the major political events should be worked out in consultation with the relevant political parties that should be briefed on all possible aspects of eventualities, the Prime Minister advised. He emphasized that the agreed security plan must be strictly enforced. The Prime Minister asked the Ministry of Interior to finalize the draft of the proposed Code of Conduct and SOPs for the forthcoming political events including the security arrangements for general elections, and discussion with all political parties participating in the elections, as well as the Chief Election Commissioner. The Prime Minister directed the provincial police departments to establish special Public Relations Cells to keep a liaison with the Media, which should be functional round the clock during any major events. Media interaction, he said, be made part of the security plans and certain senior officers be designated Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said that a ban on rallies would not hinder the political process in the country, as he urged political parties not to hold big rallies and adopt other secure means to contact the people. Talking to reporters at Prime Minister’s House, Aziz said that keeping in view the security risks, the political parties could contact the people through the media or by holding meetings instead of organizing big rallies. He said there was a need to change tactics and take necessary measures to overcome the security problems. ECP Wants no Part in Banning Rallies: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to avoid becoming a direct part of the controversy as to whether public rallies should be banned or not in the forthcoming elections following October 18 Karachi blasts. According to some sources, after deliberations it had been decided not to incorporate in the Code of Conduct such clauses that impose restrictions on public rallies, however, there may be an action (inclusion of such points) if political parties come up with such proposals. The draft of the code of conduct for coming General Elections, expected in mid of January 2008, will be prepared by the ECP in its meeting scheduled on October 24 th. ‘Ban on rallies after consulting parties’ Interior Ministry’s spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema has said that the Government will consult all political parties on the Interior Ministry’s Code of Conduct for General Elections which proposes to ban election rallies. The Interior Ministry has forwarded the Code of Conduct to the Government suggesting a ban on rallies and processions, Cheema told reporters on Wednesday. He said the proposed code did not recommend banning public meetings, but suggested that big public processions on streets should be avoided. All Parties’ Conference (APC) Government to Call APC Assuring the nation of complete information about Karachi blasts soon, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on October 20 th underlined the need for holding an All Parties Conference (APC) to formulate a new code of conduct for the upcoming General Elections. After groundbreaking ceremony of Environmental Center at PM Secretariat here, he told reporters there was a need for a new code of conduct for the next elections following the attacks on the life of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The PM added that the new code of conduct will be prepared after consultations with the political parties. For this purpose, the government in collaboration with the Election Commission will organize the APC and all the parties will be invited to it. Opposition may Attend APC Convened by EC Almost all the opposition parties have refused to be part of the APC. Some have openly expressed their reservations about the Conference being held under the auspices of the Government. Some of the opposition leaders have accused the Government of being non-serious in holding the APC, adding that the Election Commission (EC) is the appropriate forum to host such Conference as per rules of the game. BB Wants APC under EC Former Prime Minister and PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto has said that the EC should convene a meeting of all the political parties to chalk out methods and modalities for holding fair, free and transparent elections. She said that it is not the job of Government to take decision about the modalities for the election. This is the responsibility of the Election Commission. Pre-Election Surveys IRI Survey The International Republican Institute (IRI) on October 11 released its fifth survey of Pakistan public opinion. The poll, conducted between August 29 and September 13, 2007, is a comprehensive analysis of attitudes regarding the Pakistani political landscape. Following are some of the findings: • An astonishing number of voters say that the country is headed in the wrong direction. Continuing the trend witnessed in IRI’s June poll, the number of voters saying that the country was headed in the wrong direction rose to 73 percent, while those saying that the country was headed in the right direction decreased to 19 percent. • A majority report that their personal economic situation has worsened over the past year. Over the course of IRI’s polling this past year, economic indicators have been relatively stable, with voters nearly evenly split on whether or not their personal economic situation had improved over the past year. For the first time, the number of those saying that their economic condition had worsened jumped to 56 percent, while the number saying that it improved slipped to 24 percent. • Voters are somewhat optimistic about their future, although by diminishing levels. When asked about their personal economic situation over the course of the upcoming year, 27 percent responded that it would improve, while 22 percent said that it would get worse. The gap between these two numbers has been narrowing since IRI’s February poll. • The Government receives low marks for it performance on key issues. When asked how the government has performed on the issues most important to them, 22 percent gave the government good marks while 75 percent rated its performance poorly. • An overwhelming majority state that the ruling coalition does not deserve re-election. Mirroring the right direction / wrong direction question, 19 percent said that they thought that the ruling coalition did a good enough job to deserve re-election while 73 percent said that it did not. Issues Economic issues remain the top concern of Pakistanis, although September’s poll saw an increase in those citing law and order as their top concern. Voters are also turning against the Army’s role in civilian government and President Pervez Musharraf’s holding of dual offices (the office of President and the office of Army Chief of Staff) to an increasing degree. • Economic issues remain the top concern of Pakistani voters. When asked an open-ended question as to the top issue that will determine their vote, 37 percent said inflation, 20 percent said unemployment, and 11 percent replied poverty. Also of note was the 10 percent who indicated that law and order was their top concern, a sharp increase since the last poll, and likely due to the worsening security situation in the country. • Votes are increasingly turning against Musharraf’s dual roles. When voters were asked if they agreed or disagreed with the statement that the Army should not play a role in civilian government, 62 percent agreed that it should not while 30 percent disagreed; this represents an increase in opposition since the June poll. When asked if Musharraf should resign as Army Chief of Staff, 76 percent said yes (up from 62 percent in June), and when asked if Musharraf should retain the role in order to promote stability (an argument often used by the government) 76 percent disagreed, indicating that this line of reasoning did not carry any weight with them. Finally, when asked if they would support a constitutional amendment that would allow Musharraf to retain his dual roles past the end of the year, 68 percent were opposed. Agree or Disagree? Musharraf should resign as Army Chief of Staff • Voters mixed on a potential Musharraf / Bhutto deal. Over the course of the past three IRI polls, voter opinion on a potential deal between President Musharraf and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has somewhat see-sawed. Should Benazir Bhutto and Pervez Musharraf make a Deal Ratings Musharraf continued his decline in September’s poll. However, the poll saw a change in that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif surged in terms of popularity while Benazir Bhutto slipped into second. Elections Support for Musharraf’s re-election as President continues to decline, while support for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) increased. Best Leaders by Provinces PML-N moves into first, PPPP slips into second, PML-Q drops into third. Voters’ party preference for the upcoming parliamentary elections witnessed some drastic changes between IRI’s June and September polls. Mirroring the changes in leader preference and popularity, PML-N moved 17 points into first place with 36 percent, while PPPP slipped into second with 28 percent. PML-Q, which previously had remained relatively steady, found its support giving out due to political turmoil, slipping seven points into third place at 16 percent. When voters were asked if they supported the formation of the APDM, 55 percent responded in the affirmative. Likewise, when voters were asked who they would support in a hypothetical election match-up where the choices were a coalition of PPPP and PML-Q or APDM, voters were split 40 percent for APDM to 39 percent for PPPP/PML-Q. AGHS Survey – ( Punjab) AGHS Legal Aid Cell conducted a pre-election survey depicting election trends in the Province of Punjab. Following are some of the questions and the percentage of responses asked during the survey: Q- How would you rate each of the institutions? Institutes Excellent Good Somewhat Unfavorable Very Unfavorable No Response Don’t Know Total President 19.0 13.0 22.7 34.3 11.0 100.0 National Assembly 5.6 22.7 36.1 22.1 13.3 .1 100.0 The Government 12.3 16.0 27.6 32.3 11.9 100.0 NGOs 14.9 31.4 21.7 11.0 20.9 .1 100.0 The Army 23.4 20.1 25.3 20.0 11.1 100.0 The Police 4.3 13.9 22.0 48.1 11.6 .1 100.0 The Court 20.6 33.9 18.9 14.7 12.0 100.0 The Media 33.1 32.4 14.9 5.3 14.3 100.0 The Election Commission 6.9 14.9 28.4 20.9 29.0 100.0 Q- Which party do you think will be able to handle the problems facing Pakistan most effectively? Answer Percent PPP 10.9 PML(N) 53.4 PML(Q) 21.7 MMA 1.0 PTI 9.4 ANP .3 OTHERS .3 ARD .4 No One .1 Jamait Islami .3 No Response 2.1 Total 100.0 Q- Which one leader do you think will be able to handle the problems facing Pakistan most effectively? Answers Percent Benazir 9.1 Nawaz Sharif 49.9 Musharaff 24.1 Imran Khan 13.9 Qazi Hussain Ahmad .6 Chief Justice .7 Makhdon Amin Fahim .1 No Response 1.6 Total 100.0 Q- Who do you think would be the best Prime Minister? Probable Prime Ministers Percent Benazir 10.4 Nawaz Sharif/Shahbaz 51.9 Musharaff /Shaukat Aziz 19.6 Imran Khan 13.4 Iftikhar Choudri .1 Pervaiz Elahi .9 Mehmood Khn Achakzai .3 Qazi Hussain Ahmad .4 World Public Opinion Survey A poll taken in the weeks before the return to Pakistan of Benazir Bhutto, whose convoy was met with an attack as well as large adulatory crowds, finds that a plurality of Pakistanis (50%) approve of her return, while one in three are opposed. Views are also mixed about the possibility of Bhutto becoming prime minister. Equal numbers (40%) favor and oppose her becoming prime minister. Twenty percent declined to respond. However, Bhutto does appear to be a bit more popular than the current president Pervez Musharraf. Asked who would be the best person to lead Pakistan, Bhutto wins an anemic plurality with 27 percent favoring her over 21 percent for Musharraf. The WorldPublicOpinion.org poll of 907 Pakistanis was conduced September 12-28 in urban areas of Pakistan. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who Musharraf removed from power in 1999 and recently expelled immediately upon his return to Pakistan, has a similar level of support to Musharraf. Twenty-one percent endorse Sharif as the best person to lead Pakistan. Asked about the possibility of Sharif returning to Pakistan, attitudes are about the same as for Bhutto’s return. Fifty-one percent approve of his potential return, 35 percent are opposed and the rest are undecided.Pakistan Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, whose removal by Musharraf prompted large-scale The poll was carried out for WorldPublicOpinion.org by ACNielsen Pakistan through face-to-face interviews in 19 Pakistani cities. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.3 percent. Pre-Election Observations Who will be the New Governor of Sindh? In the light of unrevealed package deal of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairperson Benazir Bhutto with President Pervez Musharraf regime for accommodating the opposition parties in future power-sharing setup in the name of NRO, the Federal Government is likely to bring some political changes and has given in to the demand of changing Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ebad, In this regard, the sources told that President Pervez Musharraf is in under pressure from the ruling PML as well from opposition parties to replace the present Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) nominee as the head of the Federation in Sindh Province with some body else, and the establishment forces have proposed some names to Presidency in this regard. The names of General (Retd) Mohammad Yousuf, Former Vice-Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) who belongs to Mirpurkhas district, Dr Khair Mohammad Junejo, the renowned Agriculturist of Sanghar district and Former Federal Agriculture Minister in General Musharraf's first tenure as a Chief Executive during 1999 to 2002 and Justice (Retd) Abdul Razzaq Thaheem, the sitting Federal Local Government Minister who belongs to Jacobabad District and Chief of PML (F) Pir Pagaro are being considered. Sindh's Governor and MQM's senior leader Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan is 'famous' for exercising an upper hand and 'biased' attitude towards the administrative and political affairs of the province, and also for ignoring the chief minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim as an authority. The previous attempts on the part of the Federation to dump Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad had been unsuccessful but the establishment forces are now very serious to replace him. The opposition and other political parties in Sindh Province are also reluctant to contest the next General Elections under the administrative control of Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan and serving bureaucratic setup in province especially in the district administration and police department, which were installed by ruling MQM leadership. If the present Governor is not removed, then the opposition parties including Sindhi nationalist groups would boycott the upcoming General Elections in the Sindh province. According to intelligence agencies reports, governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan is also known as the architect and supervisor of many untoward episodes in the province like illegal operation against MQM (Haqiqi) in 2002-03, high-level rigging by ruling MQM in local bodies elections in 2005, forced removal of Kutchi Abadies of rural Sindhi population, the May 12 Karachi carnage and the unlawful harassment of lawyers by the MQM workers during the May 12 case hearing in the SHC on September 10. LGs and the Upcoming Elections PPP Seeks Removal of LGs before Polls The People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) on October 9 th demanded of the Government to suspend Local Government institutions and freeze their funds three months prior to the forthcoming General Elections to ensure fairness and transparency of the process. PPP Election Monitoring Cell Chief Senator Latif Khosa said if the Government wanted to delimit the constituencies then this should be done as early as possible to enable the candidates and the parties to rectify their objections well in time. He said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should also notify the election staff and polling stations before time to avoid last minute changes, which were normally made to manipulate the polls. LG Reforms for NAs as President Approves LFO The President, in a bid to strengthen political system, has approved extension of local bodies system to the Northern Areas to bring reforms by reshaping Legal Framework Order (LFO) so that the elected representatives of the areas are further empowered. It is decided in a high-level meeting presided over by General Pervez Musharraf. Local Government System Protected by Constitution: NRB A senior official of the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) said that the Local Government system cannot be suspended or scrapped under pressure from any political party as it is protected by the Constitution. Opposition parties, particularly the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), have demanded that the local government system be suspended to ensure the government does not manipulate the upcoming General Elections. Quoting from the Constitution, the NRB official said Article 140A clearly vests administrative and financial authority in local governments: “Each province shall, by law, establish a Local Government system and devolve political, administrative and financial responsibility and authority to the elected representatives of the Local Governments.” He said the Local Government system is also protected up to 2009 in the Sixth Schedule and this cannot be changed without prior approval of the President. He further mentioned that eve if the President were to issue an ordinance suspending Local Governments, administrators could not be appointed in place of nazims because a constitutional amendment would be required for that. PM Allocates Rs 127m for Chaudhary Shahbaz’s Constituency Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has granted Rs 127.848 million for different projects under Kushhal Pakistan Project (KPP-I) in district Jhelum in the constituency of Federal Minister for population Welfare Chaudhry Shahbaz Hussain, Sources said Rs 40 million had also been provided out of development funds under KPP-II. They said that various projects had been completed while some were in progress. The sources added that electricity had been provided to about 100 villages while the work is in progress in 44 villages. The funds to the tune of Rs 60.500 million had been sanctioned for the electrification of 23 villages in the suburbs of Lilla, Tehsil PD Khan. However, the President had recently allocated Rs 15 million for electrification and more funds are expected in near future electrify the remaining villages. IESCO, Islamabad, had agreed to electrify all the remaining areas of district Jhelum by December 2007. A list of all such villages had been prepared in consultation with tehsil nazims and Nazar Hussain Gondal MPA and the same had been forwarded to the prime minister for release of funds and IESCO. Rs 70 million have been released for provision of natural gas to tehsils Dina and Sohawa. In addition, the existing demand for telephone connections in Jhelum is 4,971 lines. 28 telephone exchanges are presently functioning in the district Jhelum, having a capacity of 61,792 lines out of which 58,624 connections have been issued and 3,168 lines are still available. Talking about the availability of pure drinking water, the sources say that filtration plants will be installed in each union council of the district by the end of this year. The sources say that Bunhan Bridge has been constructed on Jhelum-Pind Dadan Khan Road to shorten the distance between the two points. Supply of CNG has been started at Lilla, Pind Dadan Khan. Small and mini dams will be constructed at different places to overcome the scarcity of water. However, the work is in progress in this regard. The construction of a bridge on the River Jhelum near Victorian Bridge has been approved. Village Kirri, UC Janjeel, is being developed as a model village and funds have been allocated for the purpose, they revealed. Facility of Machine Readable passport has been provided to the Jhelum city. Last but not the least, a campus of the Punjab University, University of Engineering & Technology, Taxila and OPF College are being established in Jhelum. EC wants Police, DMG 'Old Guys' Reshuffled Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has directed the provinces to submit a list of all those police and district management groups’ officers who are presently exceeding a three year term at any place of posting, Through its provincial head offices, the ECP has demanded lists of all such “old guys” by the end of this month in a bid to seek transfer of all such officers from Government before announcing the schedule for next General Elections. Experts say the Police Group is likely to be most affected if the drive of the ECP to sort out long postings goes well, while Punjab is expected to have most causalities as being home of the most of old guys. They added that some senior police officials of Lahore, Bahawalpur, Multan, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi may also fall in the same ambit. In backdrop of reports regarding ECP’s move for obtaining lists of all “old guys”, police sources in La