President’s announcement about elections hailed

PESHAWAR—The announcement by President General Pervez Musharraf about holding of general elections in first week of January 2008 and formation of the care taker governments at the centre and the provinces by mid November were highly welcomed by the people from cross section of the society in the NWFP.
“The President stood by his words and kept his promise of holding the elections on time in the country and squashes the rumors about its postponement”, commented the political workers at ward level, shopkeepers, and small traders when approached by this agency in various congested bazaars of Peshawar City.
The President, Qadar, a tailor told, has clearly spoke his mind and heart and explained in details about his election program and smooth democratic transition in the country which will be completed Inshallah, with the advent of new year. Moreover, the President has also buried the speculations being aired by certain quarters mostly from the politicians that general elections might be delayed for one year.
Khan Rehman, a butcher in a Gulbahar street, when asked to comment, impressed upon the opposition leaders to reciprocate in positive manner to the President’s announcement and his programme about transition to democracy and let this country prosper and developed. “For God sake, don’t spoil the future of this country which we have achieved after great struggle”, he appealed to the politicians opposing the present government. Bilal an owner of food restaurant in Hashtnagri bazaar was also jubilant over the announcement of the election schedule and it is amazing that the President has set aside apprehensions of the opponents and announced his programme of election in a candid manner before media in Islamabad on Sunday.
Now it is our responsibility to maintain harmony in our ranks and files and ensure peaceful holding of the polls. He said the President has outclassed his critics by moving ahead with his election strategy and ended the rumors of any delay in polls. The opponents, he said would now have nothing to trumpet against the President, Bilal said, adding, it is better for them to concentrate on elections.
Similarly, Raza Shah, a cobbler by profession in a street in cantonment, said “It has buried the designs of rumor mongers who have created a lot of uncertainty about the elections in the country”.
Arshad Khan, a private firm’s manager, when contacted highly appreciated the President’s announcement about elections and dissolution of the present assemblies after expiry of the mandated period. He said, the President rightly deserved credit for keeping his promise and words about completing the constitutional period of the elected parliament which he was kept on saying 2002 and the opponents did make efforts to sabotage his plan of transition to true democracy during the said period. The President’s stroke put the critics at back foot, he commented.
The trader bodies in historic Qissa Khwani bazaar, Shooba Bazaar, Namak Mandi, Pipal Mandi, Khyber Bazaar, Dalgran, Chowk Yadgar, Ghanta Ghar, Hashtnagri, Ashraf Road, Karimpura etc have also welcomed the announcement of the President about polls in early January 2008 and said it would at least end the uncertain situation which had engulfed the country for the last couple of months and the politicking of the opponents who were foreseeing delayed elections. The trading and commercial activities would gain momentum after the President’s news conference as it has settled the dust once for all.
Similarly social and welfare personalities of the town who refused to be named when approached were also highly appreciative of the President’s announcements and held it historic that the assemblies are completing its tenures for the first time in the history of the country courtesy President Musharraf.—APP