Opposition vows fresh challenge to Musharraf

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s key opposition parties yesterday vowed to lodge a last-ditch Supreme Court challenge aimed at stopping President Pervez Musharraf standing for re-election on October 6.

The country’s election commission approved Musharraf’s candidature on Saturday amid bloody clashes between lawyers and riot police. The commission’s acceptance came a day after the top Pakistani court dismissed petitions seeking to disqualify Musharraf, a key ally in the US-led ‘war on terror’.Dozens of people including journalists and lawyers were injured in the violent protests outside the election commission building.Journalists condemning police action staged rallies in major cities late yesterday while lawyers and opposition party activists wearing black armbands joined the march to express ‘solidarity’ with them.”Protest rallies were held in almost every city and town, including the remote tribal region” bordering Afghanistan, union leader M Riaz told AFP in the northwestern city of Peshawar.The commission overruled objections by rival candidates and approved Musharraf’s candidacy for another five-year term.”The other candidates raised objections to Musharraf’s nomination but they were not accepted,” commission secretary Kanwar Dilshad told AFP.Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party said it would challenge the commission’s decision.”We have decided to file a petition in the Supreme Court on Monday,” Bhutto’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar told AFP.He said the petition was being filed by Makhdoom Amin Fahim, the vice-chairman of Bhutto’s party, who is standing against Musharraf in the poll.Musharraf’s other rival is Wajihuddin Ahmad, a former judge who refused to swear allegiance to Musharraf after the 1999 coup in which he seized power.Fahim will ask the court to “stay” the presidential election until the final decision on his petition.”Of course, this is one of the demands,” Babar said.”The real legal battle will start now.”Separately, a multi-party opposition alliance, which includes former premier Nawaz Sharif’s party, also vowed to challenge Musharraf’s nomination.”The war will continue,” Sharif’s party official Siddiqul Farooq told AFP.”The fight will not be over even if the presidential vote is not postponed.”The alliance leaders have vowed that opposition MPs will resign en masse tomorrow.Senior alliance leader Raja Zafar ul Haq said he had already received resignations of 84 federal and 162 provincial lawmakers.Musharraf is almost certain to win the election, given that it involves the national and provincial parliaments, in which his allies hold a majority.Nampa-AFPThe commission’s acceptance came a day after the top Pakistani court dismissed petitions seeking to disqualify Musharraf, a key ally in the US-led ‘war on terror’.Dozens of people including journalists and lawyers were injured in the violent protests outside the election commission building.Journalists condemning police action staged rallies in major cities late yesterday while lawyers and opposition party activists wearing black armbands joined the march to express ‘solidarity’ with them.”Protest rallies were held in almost every city and town, including the remote tribal region” bordering Afghanistan, union leader M Riaz told AFP in the northwestern city of Peshawar.The commission overruled objections by rival candidates and approved Musharraf’s candidacy for another five-year term.”The other candidates raised objections to Musharraf’s nomination but they were not accepted,” commission secretary Kanwar Dilshad told AFP.Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party said it would challenge the commission’s decision.”We have decided to file a petition in the Supreme Court on Monday,” Bhutto’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar told AFP.He said the petition was being filed by Makhdoom Amin Fahim, the vice-chairman of Bhutto’s party, who is standing against Musharraf in the poll.Musharraf’s other rival is Wajihuddin Ahmad, a former judge who refused to swear allegiance to Musharraf after the 1999 coup in which he seized power.Fahim will ask the court to “stay” the presidential election until the final decision on his petition.”Of course, this is one of the demands,” Babar said.”The real legal battle will start now.”Separately, a multi-party opposition alliance, which includes former premier Nawaz Sharif’s party, also vowed to challenge Musharraf’s nomination.”The war will continue,” Sharif’s party official Siddiqul Farooq told AFP.”The fight will not be over even if the presidential vote is not postponed.”The alliance leaders have vowed that opposition MPs will resign en masse tomorrow.Senior alliance leader Raja Zafar ul Haq said he had already received resignations of 84 federal and 162 provincial lawmakers.Musharraf is almost certain to win the election, given that it involves the national and provincial parliaments, in which his allies hold a majority.Nampa-AFP