President advises BB to delay return
DM monitoring

ISLAMABAD—President General Pervez Musharraf has advised self-exiled former Prime Minister and PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto to delay her return to Pakistan, reported a foreign newswire on Wednesday. “ Benazir should not come back to Pakistan on October 18 and she should delay her return programme till the Supreme Court decision regarding the presidential election,” Musharraf was quoted as saying by an American news agency.
“ I will not be sworn in before the Supreme Court decision about the eligibility to contest the presidential election, which I have won with overwhelming majority,” he said. Musharraf also said that he would doff the uniform till November 15. President General Pervaiz Musharraf has said that the country was on track to the civil rule after the Presidential elections and that he was re-elected as President purely on merit.
Talking to a private TV channel here on Wednesday, he said that votes were polled in all the three electoral college of the Presidential elections including Senate, National Assembly and all four assemblies of the provinces. He said that the government had majority in all the assemblies except NWFP; even then more votes were polled for him in the Frontier and Balochistan which was beyond expectations. Musharraf said that he won the election with the majority of 57 percent votes for which he was thanked to Allah Almighty. He said the elections were held in free, fair and transparent manner and the foreign diplomats as well as international observers were there in the assemblies to monitor the process.
Replying to a question, he said that he would let the nation know on time about his next step if the Supreme Court of Pakistan rules against him on October 17 in the petition filed in the apex court, challenging his nomination papers for the top slot.
Musharraf said that the country was bankrupted in 1999 when he took over the rein as Chief Executive. Later he took over responsibilities as President of Pakistan and put the country on the track of democracy by stepping down as Chief Executive, he added. “After the 2002 general election the parliament was fully functional and the peoples’ representatives started their work putting the country on the right track,” he said. He said that he was not dictating the government and only gave suggestions where it was necessary. “The Prime Minister was ruling the government, not me,” he added. He further said that the country could be run best if there was complete understanding and coordination among the President, Prime Minister and Chief of the Army Staff.
Replying to another question, Musharraf said that he hasn’t got a magic stick to end poverty from the country however the government did tremendous job by talking concrete measure to eliminate poverty gradually. Poverty level in the country has decreased from 34 to 24 percent and would be reduced further if this trend continued, he stated.
He ruled out any differences in the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Q) ranks and said there were no groups within the party. There is always difference of opinion among the party members but they are united like a rock and the country witnessed it in the Presidential elections, he added. Commenting of National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), the president said that the Ordinance was promulgated for national and political reconciliation. He categorically denied that the NRO was promulgated on Benazir Bhutto’s demand.