Sharif registers for Pakistan polls

LAHORE – Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, fresh from a triumphant return from exile, registered Monday as a candidate for Pakistan’s crucial elections.

However, he maintained a threat to boycott the January 8 vote and said that, even if he did take part, he would not lead any government under President General Pervez Musharraf. Sharif signed his nomination papers in triplicate at a court in the eastern city of Lahore.Dozens of supporters packed into the courtroom chanted, “Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif!” Asked by an Associated Press reporter on his way out whether he would actually contest the seat in his hometown, Sharif was noncommittal: “I have submitted my papers …Let’s see where we end up.”Sharif’s surprise return to Pakistan on Sunday poses a major threat to Musharraf, the man who ousted him in a 1999 coup and became a key US ally against international terrorism.Sharif and other opposition leaders are threatening to boycott the parliamentary elections – a step that would wreck Musharraf’s plans for a controlled return to democracy.But even if they take part in the vote, Sharif’s harsh rhetoric suggests Musharraf faces a bumpy ride as he tries to prolong his eight-year rule.Musharraf is expected to step down as chief of Pakistan’s powerful army this week and continue as a civilian president – a key demand of his domestic critics and international sponsors.The party of Benazir Bhutto, another former premier seeking to return to power, has said that would be a welcome move.But Sharif insisted Musharraf would have to reinstate Supreme Court judges purged under the emergency and obtain their approval before he would be ‘acceptable’ to his party.Musharraf has accused the judges of triggering the crisis by interfering with the government as well as the security forces’ efforts to fight rising Islamic militancy.The judges were about to rule on the legality of Musharraf’s victory in an October presidential election when they were swept away under the emergency.Sharif also said curbs on the media and the emergency should be lifted before the polls, which he said were being rigged to favour the ruling party.”We don’t want to boycott elections, but if you push someone to the wall …what options are left?” he said, adding that he was not a “candidate for prime ministership under Pervez Musharraf.”Both Sharif and Bhutto are barred from serving again as prime minister under constitutional changes pushed through by Musharraf.However, the next Parliament or Musharraf, with his emergency powers, could make alterations as part of whatever new power setup emerges from the turmoil.Nampa-APSharif signed his nomination papers in triplicate at a court in the eastern city of Lahore.Dozens of supporters packed into the courtroom chanted, “Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif!” Asked by an Associated Press reporter on his way out whether he would actually contest the seat in his hometown, Sharif was noncommittal: “I have submitted my papers …Let’s see where we end up.”Sharif’s surprise return to Pakistan on Sunday poses a major threat to Musharraf, the man who ousted him in a 1999 coup and became a key US ally against international terrorism.Sharif and other opposition leaders are threatening to boycott the parliamentary elections – a step that would wreck Musharraf’s plans for a controlled return to democracy.But even if they take part in the vote, Sharif’s harsh rhetoric suggests Musharraf faces a bumpy ride as he tries to prolong his eight-year rule.Musharraf is expected to step down as chief of Pakistan’s powerful army this week and continue as a civilian president – a key demand of his domestic critics and international sponsors.The party of Benazir Bhutto, another former premier seeking to return to power, has said that would be a welcome move.But Sharif insisted Musharraf would have to reinstate Supreme Court judges purged under the emergency and obtain their approval before he would be ‘acceptable’ to his party.Musharraf has accused the judges of triggering the crisis by interfering with the government as well as the security forces’ efforts to fight rising Islamic militancy.The judges were about to rule on the legality of Musharraf’s victory in an October presidential election when they were swept away under the emergency.Sharif also said curbs on the media and the emergency should be lifted before the polls, which he said were being rigged to favour the ruling party.”We don’t want to boycott elections, but if you push someone to the wall …what options are left?” he said, adding that he was not a “candidate for prime ministership under Pervez Musharraf.”Both Sharif and Bhutto are barred from serving again as prime minister under constitutional changes pushed through by Musharraf.However, the next Parliament or Musharraf, with his emergency powers, could make alterations as part of whatever new power setup emerges from the turmoil.Nampa-AP