ISLAMABAD, 9 November 2007 — Facing mounting pressure from the United States, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf yesterday said general elections will be held in Pakistan by Feb. 15. Security forces meanwhile continued detaining people throughout the country who protested against his emergency rule and at least four people were charged with treason for publicly criticizing Musharraf and his policies. A conviction in their case could result in a death verdict.
President Bush telephoned Musharraf on Wednesday to say he should step down as the military chief and hold the vote on schedule.
Following yesterday’s announcement, the White House said in a statement: “We think it is a good thing that President Musharraf has clarified the election date for the Pakistani people.”
News that elections would be held by mid-February was flashed on state-run television. Ninety minutes later, it showed Musharraf insisting that he had always intended to carry out promised democratic reform and that the delay was because of the difficulty in scheduling both national and provincial ballots.
“Elections in Pakistan must be held before Feb. 15, 2008 — latest,” Musharraf told a handful of government reporters after a meeting of his National Security Council. The government said earlier this week that the vote could be delayed by as long as a year.
Musharraf also reaffirmed that he would be sworn in for a new presidential term and quit his post as army chief once the Supreme Court confirms his victory in last month’s presidential election.
The court had been poised to rule on opposition complaints that Musharraf was ineligible because of a constitutional ban on public servants seeking elected office. Purged of independent-minded judges under the emergency, the court has yet to announce when hearings will resume, though officials have said they want a quick ruling.
Many Pakistanis remained skeptical.
“I don’t trust him. Military rulers in Pakistan never fulfilled their promise,” said Nighat Anis, a retired teacher in Islamabad. “It’s our history. We have always been cheated.”
Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, who has thrown down the gauntlet by threatening to lead mass protests, said Musharraf needed to do more. “We don’t want vague and generalized statements. We want upfront answers,” she told a news conference, responding to Musharraf’s comments.
She said Musharraf should release detained judges and let “the real Supreme Court” decide on challenges to his re-election. “We will accept the decision of that Supreme Court, which will be constitutional and includes those judges who are detained,” she said.
Sacked Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry is being held incommunicado at his residence in Islamabad and several other judges who were hearing the challenges are under house arrest. Musharraf has replaced Supreme Court judges with more friendly faces in the expectation that they will strike down the challenges, but he is facing a revolt by the judiciary.
Benazir said her Pakistan People’s Party would hold a public meeting in Rawalpindi, adjoining the capital Islamabad, today. Plans were still on for a mass motor procession from Lahore on Nov. 13 unless Musharraf gives in.
Thousands of lawyers and opposition activists have been detained since Musharraf declared the emergency on Saturday. Four of those arrested were charged with treason yesterday for making anti-Musharraf speeches in the southern port city of Karachi.
The men — three politicians from small leftist political parties and a labor union activist — were the first government opponents charged with treason, which carries a maximum penalty of death, since the emergency was imposed. The four are Mir Hasil Bizanjo, the son of a former governor of Balochistan province, Ayub Qureshi, Yusuf Masti Khan and Liaquat Sahi.
— Additional input from agencies
