PM hints at option to delay elections
By Makhdoom Babar

ISLAMABAD—Government is committed to holding national elections but is undecided when, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Sunday, a day after it imposed emergency rule to deal with rising militancy and a hostile judiciary. Pakistan had been due to hold a general election by January, but military ruler President Pervez Musharraf’s decision to impose emergency rule and suspend the constitution has left Pakistan in limbo and drawn criticism from the international community.
“We are committed to making sure that elections are held and that the democratic process flourishes in Pakistan,” Aziz told a news conference. “As a result of what has happened there could be some timing differences but no decision has been made.” He said the emergency, which Musharraf imposed as he was waiting for the Supreme Court to rule on whether his October re-election bid while army chief would stand, would last for as short as possible and as long as necessary. Musharraf has since purged the court, and dismissed the Chief Justice with whom he had locked horns.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Sunday said the decision to proclaim state of emergency in the country was to ensure writ of the government and maintain harmony among three pillars of the state. “These measures are to ensure writ of the government, improve law and order situation and to maintain harmony among judiciary, executive and the legislature, so that the government could function smoothly”, he told a crowded press conference here at the Prime Minister House.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Muhammad Ali Durrani, State Minister Tariq Azeem and Secretary Information Syed Anwar Mehmood were also present on the occasion. The Prime Minister said the government, through extra measures, wanted to have an ability to act effectively and protect the lives of people, which could not be done with ordinary laws.
He hoped that the measures would bring normalcy in the prevailing situation in the country. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the emergency was imposed as various entities of the government could not perform their roles effectively. He said security situation in the country as well as neighboring Afghanistan and the presence of foreign troops there had prompted the government to take extraordinary measures.
Although Constitution had been held in abeyance, yet all the activities would continue to function normally, he added. “Judiciary will function in the normal way. No army will be called in any part of the country, only police and para-military forces will be used to control the situation,” he said. The Prime Minister said the code of conduct announced yesterday for media would provide guidelines, required to be followed for media’s reasonable behaviour.
He said more than 50 electronic channels had been introduced on the media scene owing to the freedom of expression provided by the government. On reopening of the blocked transmission of private TV channels, the Prime Minister said the Ministry of Information was in the process of negotiating with stakeholders and hoped that it would be done soon. “We are always, even after the code of conduct, deliberating with stakeholders to continue...we want the media to flourish to perform their duties in line with code of conduct,” he said.