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Musharraf promises polls by year-end

Nirupama Subramanian

ISLAMABAD: President Pervez Musharraf said on Thursday that elections to the National and Provincial Assemblies would be held by the end of 2007.

He was speaking at a public rally in Gujranwala, a town in Punjab province.

General Musharraf, who said Pakistan was now a "true democracy" instead of being one only in name under previous governments, asked the people to vote for those political forces that supported him in order to strengthen his hands, so that the country could proceed on its present path.

"I will come up to the expectations of the people who have always supported the truth," Gen. Musharraf said.

Call to reject extremism

Urging people to reject extremism and terrorism in its all forms and manifestations, he remarked that it was "eating us like termite internally and is affecting our image externally."

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