President says won’t give up Uniform till polls

ISLAMABAD—Hoping a victory for moderates, and defeat for religious elements, President Pervez Musharraf has announced that “mother of all elections” as he termed the next general elections, would be held after November 2007, but not later than January 2008.
“I have a desire and I have a hope. I have a hope that moderate forces must win. I have started calling it the mother of all elections,” said the President in an interview to NDTV released in detail on Wednesday. “Moderate forces, enlightened forces must win against these religious elements - obscurantists, I call them. They must go down to the level where they were before. They never had more than three to four per cent. Now they have about 17 or 18 per cent in the assemblies. They are running one of the provinces. They must be defeated,” said Musharraf when asked who will win the next elections.
When asked after completion of incumbent government in November 2007, would he giving a cut-date for the next elections, the President said he was not so sure about the constitutional position but it would be no later than January 2008.
However, he reiterated: “I am on the contrary saying this assembly must complete its tenure for the first time in the history of Pakistan.”
The President criticized those talking of mid-term elections and said “Unfortunately. It’s the people who call themselves democratic. They are trying to impose a dissolution of these assemblies by me, and they call themselves democratic.” General Musharraf clearly said he will not doff his military uniform before the next elections. He was, however, unclear on whether he will give up his army uniform after the elections.
“I don’t know. The constitution does allow me after 2007. Let me see,” he added. However, calling it a key decision, the President said, he was yet to make his mind on doffing. “Yes, I have to take that decision. It’s a very key decision,” he said adding that he needs uniform at the moment because it was a must for the unity of the country.—Agencies