General elections in early Jan: PM
By Our Special Correspondent

ISLAMABAD—Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Wednesday said the general election will be held by first week of January, after completion of term of the assemblies. Addressing the press and electronic media personnel here at the PM House at an iftar-dinner in their honour, the Prime Minister said for the first time in the history of the country the assemblies will complete their term.
He said that national and the provincial assemblies after the completion of their tenure on November 15 will stand dissolved. A caretaker set up will be put in place to ensure free, fair and transparent election and it will not be part of the future setup as they cannot contest the next election. He said that election, according to the constitution will be held within 60 days and a new government will be sworn in.
“We hope that PML and its allies will again make it up to the top,” the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister said in the recently concluded presidential election, the President secured 57 per cent votes according to unofficial results. He said though some political parties did not vote, yet the results show that their non participation did not have any impact on the result. “It is their own discretion, if they want to participate or not,” he added.
Prime Minister Aziz said the results signify continuity, consistency and stability of policies. He said the government has given unprecedented freedom to media where they can report freely and objectively and criticise the government. He hoped that it will continue to flourish in the days ahead and help the nation progress on path of prosperity.
The Prime Minister mentioned that the government was working on the plan of media university that will offer short, medium and long term courses. About the next wage board award for the journalists, the Prime Minister invited the media representatives for talks and said though the issue was complicated, the government will help to try to resolve the matter. He termed media the fourth pillar of the state and said they need to work to win the hearts and minds of the people.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Thursday that re-election of President General Pervez Musharraf is the victory of all those who want to see Pakistan a progressive, developed and prosperous state. The Prime Minister said this while talking to a group of MNAs who called on him at the PM’s House here.
The Prime Minister said that PML and its allies are committed to ensuring that next general elections are held in a transparent manner so that the will of the people determines the future course for the country. The Prime Minister said that ruling coalition will contest the forthcoming elections on the basis of its performance over the last five years which has transformed the country and improved the standard of living of the people.
He said for the development process to move forward at a consistent pace, continuity of policies is important.